In Our Opinion...

The Multiple Audiences of Media Diplomacy

By Olga Sinitsyna

In a recent interview, President Bush mentioned that he had a conversation with “his friend” President Gen. Pervez Musharraf concerning the current political turmoil in Pakistan. ‘Friend or foe’ tensions exist between the U.S. and Pakistan. Under the media’s glare, President Bush is clearly torn between sending a strong message to Pakistan about the U.S.’s disapproval of its state of emergency – to appease the American public -- and, at the same time, being too critical of Pakistan, who is a key ally in the fight against terrorism. There is a great divide and a very fine line that President Bush is attempting not to cross.

In today’s global media environment, leaders must be wary that when they speak in the media, they speak to many audiences. The newly re-established relationship with France provides another example. To American audiences, President Bush does not want to appear as though he has become “soft” in any way. After all, we did hate everything French and wanted to boycott all French-made products given that nation’s position on the Iraq war. At the same time, the U.S. desperately needs to strengthen ties with its European allies. Losing face with the U.S. public is by no means an acceptable position for President Bush, so – just as with Pakistan -- he must craft his media messages with care.

 

If America is a great and benevolent nation, we’re not getting the message through

By Liz Stewart

With the United States entrenched in what seems to be a never-ending war, what is the message we are sending to other countries through our media? Is it that Americans are concerned with our standing on the international stage? I think not.

If an outsider were to browse our cable news stations, newspapers, or news magazines they would see blatant self-absorption and the continued conspicuous consumption so poignant in American lifestyle. Our media rarely pays attention to other nations not directly involved with us. In fact, only when a country threatens the “American way of life” are they given much notice.

That same outsider would see a population so fed up with the President it elected a new his opposition party to power in Congress; yet that Congress has not reversed any of the policies of the unpopular administration. Would they see news of protests and demonstrations by the American public rejecting the inconsistencies of the government? It’s more likely they would see an advertisement for beer or the latest video game.

Surely there is solid news and a clear message from the American public in the business or political sections. Alas, at the top of “political news” stories are comparisons of Hillary Clinton’s latest hairstyles, and how her laugh makes Americans feel.

It’s no curiosity that the U.S. reputation has dropped so drastically in recent years. In fact, a Pew Research Center poll shows that our favorability in Great Britain, one of our most prized allies, has fallen from 83% in 1999/2000 to only 56% last year.

Perhaps if the media better reported the public’s interest in America’s image, the message that we are a peaceful and caring people would not be lost in translation.

 

American Message Sending: Fostering Goodwill or Resentment in Iraq?

By Anna Taylor

The United States military attempted to send a strong message the other day with the release of nearly 500 Iraqi detainees from an American detention center in Baghdad; a message of goodwill and forgiveness.

However, this message comes with a price for Iraqi detainees, some who have been held for months without any communication with families according to Cara Buckley in her article, 500 Iraqis Freed From Crowded U.S. Detention Center. For them, the message sent was one of injustice. Tariq Jabbar, a recently released detainee said that he relished his release, but he was left with a parting feeling of resentment.

With the U.S. pressing the media to send this message of goodwill not only to Iraqis but around the world, one must question what effect such strong messaging will have on the Iraqi public? Will they accept the release as a message of good intentions and a sign of impending return to normality? Or will the message they hear from former prisoners be one that breeds further distrust and discontent with the occupation?

With mounting instability among Iraqis, I believe this recent release will further the feelings of animosity and unrest. A recent poll sponsored by ABC News and media partners painted a devastating picture of Iraqi optimism that once was vast, as rapidly deteriorating. In 2005, 63 percent of Iraqis felt very safe in their neighborhoods. Today just 26 percent say the same. Two-thirds of Iraqis expected their lives to improve in the upcoming year, 2006. Now just 35 percent see better days ahead.

Unless America steps out of our current “box” we are thinking in, the messages sent are going to end up coming through to Iraqis like a bad game of telephone.