Feature Article

Facilitating Federal Misinformation

By Barbara Holm

With the revelation of the 2002 torture memos, Americans learned that the CIA has tortured detainees at Guantanamo Bay Detention Center. Perhaps more alarming is that the government has been able to engage the media in a way that supports such actions. One might say that the media acts in the role of a facilitator in the way that it portrays Guantanamo Bay and the actions of the CIA.

How does this happen? First, the news beat system consistently privileges a "golden triangle" of sources: the White House, Pentagon, and State Department. For example, in a New York Times article about Guantanamo, "Debate Erupts on Techniques Used by C.I.A." the journalist only quotes sources from within the government. In this way, the information appears official and unbiased, while only portraying the opinions of a select few who may have a vested interest in rendering Guantanamo a certain way. Political communication scholar Robert McChesney writes about how media sources, particularly in regard to the War on Terror, are drawn almost entirely from the establishment. By drawing exclusively on the opinions of government officials, the media omits outside sources and opposing viewpoints. The result is that the range of debate that we see about political controversies is bound within the opinions of our government. Prof. Lance Bennett, here at the University of Washington, calls this 'indexing'.

Second, because journalists have limited access to the detention camp's physical location as well as information details, the government is able to manage the particulars they receive. In an MSNBC interview, George Bush was asked if the CIA used waterboarding to interrogate prisoners. Bush answered, "I'm not going to talk about techniques we use on people. One reason why is because we don't want the enemy to adjust." Media restrictions and censorship influence public opinion while simultaneously distorting the truth.

Social Identity Theory offers a third element to help explain the way that the media portrays Guantanamo. Social Identity Theory states that, when group identity is made salient, individuals will act to protect or enhance that identity. In the context of international affairs – where U.S. identity is salient -- media often unwittingly act as part of the national group. So, they neglect covering accounts of mistreatment of Guantanamo detainees, but emphasize the positive elements of the detainment. For example in the Seattle Times article “Gitmo Detainees Allowed Phone Calls” Michael Melia writes, “A Pentagon spokesman, Navy Cmdr. Jeffrey Gordon, said the telephone policy reflects a commitment to maintaining the health and well-being of Guantanamo detainees.” This represents how the media protects, and projects, an image of the U.S. intentions as positive and honorable. Additionally, framing and word choice affect the reader’s perception. For example, the press uses the phrase “harsh interrogation techniques” instead of torture.

Finally, author Silvio Waisbord offers another piece to the puzzle of why the media reinforces government actions in this post 9/11 era. He argues that the media are affected, like the public, by a new culture of fear and risk where patriotism is expressed as jingoism. As a critique, he writes, "Journalism needs to resist the temptation to dance to the tune of deafening nationalism...by keeping criticism alive rather than becoming compliant with 'home essentialism.'" The real patriotic thing to do, he argues, would be to support the democratic ideals of debate, dissent, and freedom of the press, instead of Orwellian propaganda.

The media's facilitation of action in Guantanamo affects international relations. By obtaining public support for the detention camp, the media is furthering the War on Terror, as well as setting a precedent for United States policy in reference to human rights laws. By assisting the government, the media is a tool in the terror war. This, in turn, affects the way the rest of the world views the United States.