Newswise — As seen in the mainstream media, the images are indelible, from the president standing before a banner declaring "Mission Accomplished" to another president, years later, saluting flag-draped coffins. How has the media told the stories of America's wars, and what stories haven't they told?
Those are among the questions examined in a new book, "The Pen and the Sword: Press, War and Terror in the 21st Century," by St. Lawrence University Professor of Government, Calvin F. Exoo, published by Sage Publications. In it, Exoo takes a critical look at coverage of the 21st century's number-one news story: terrorism and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Among topics included: - The war in Afghanistan. There were two sides to this story, but the press told only one, and the untold story would return to haunt us. - The campaign for war in Iraq. What did the press know and when did they know about the web of lies that led us into war? - Iraq, from invasion to "Mission Accomplished." When the story of war is told as a patriotic hymn, Playstation game, or melodrama of macho heroes and bad guys dressed in black, important things are left out. - Aftermath, from "Mission Accomplished" to the present. Something has changed since the Vietnam War, when the press finally found its critical voice. Somehow, media in the 21st century continue to cling to an untenable, pro-war story, even after the public has abandoned it.
Also included is up-to-date information on the underpinnings of the news business – corporate ownership and the power of elites to define the news – and adds some important new features of the media landscape: the media profit crisis and how it is affecting the news; the creation and mainstreaming of a new right-wing media surround-sound system; and the increasing importance of entertainment media and "soft news" in shaping public views.
Exoo states, "The pen, it is said, is mightier than the average sword. Indeed, the mass media's pen is no ordinary weapon, but a two-edged sword. It has the power to enable democracy. But wielded another way, it can also erode democracy, helping it to degenerate, as Aristotle feared itwould, into oligarchy – rule by the few – or into plutocracy – rule by the wealthy."
Exoo is also the author of "Democracy Upside Down: Public Opinion and Cultural Hegemony in the United States" (1987) and "The Politics of the Mass Media" (1994). In 2006, he was selected as a Saul Sidore Lecturer at Plymouth State University, and in 2009, he was named Outstanding Faculty Member by the senior class at St. Lawrence University.
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