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Role of Media in War

Sqn Ldr Ahsan-Al-Mamun
The extreme form of armed conflicts that usually takes place between two groups or countries called war. When war breaks out, the people around the world naturally remain concerned about the happenings of the war and also the sufferings of the people of the belligerent countries. The genesis of war correspondence was first introduced in Peninsular Campaign of Wellington and, thereafter, in the Crimean and the Boer Wars. During the First World War, the reporters were strictly under control of military command and were not allowed to go to the front till mid 1915. Also in the Second World War, the media was not in a favourable situation. However the control on media was relaxed later. After the Second World War reporters' freedom in reporting a war drew the attention of various minds.
Present age can be termed as information age where communication and information technology is the main theme of the age. Media is a place where constant process of evolution takes place.’ As a result, new ideas and technologies develop. A prominent scholar named Zbigniew Brzezinski has used the word ’Technetronic' to describe this new age in which communication will play a greater intelligence role. According to him, the post industrial society is becoming a technetronic society which is shaped culturally, psychologically, socially and economically by the impact of technology and electronics, particularly, in the area of computers and communication. So, the mass media should not only be seen as a driving force behind cultural and social change, but also as an index for political
mobilization, both domestically and internationally.
There has been conflict over war coverage between military and media. As the mutual understanding in a democratic political system, defence establishments and the information system can ensure the security of a state, so in a democratic set up media plays an important role in forming‘and guiding public opinion with regard to the national security.
Media and War Correspondence
Media is an industry which is engaged in the collection and dissemination of news. It serves three basic functions in the society. It informs the people about the ongoing events or actions and shapes the public opinion in today's society. It also acts as a judge or honest broker. The modern media can be classified into three categories of use, namely pure visual, pure audio and audiovisual combination. The reporters accredited for covering the war are known as war correspondent. The war correspondent should have knowledge or expertise in the subject of defence so that they can differentiate between information and intelligence in order to maintain the security of information.
Impact of Media in War
Media can play a very vital role in bringing in the popular support in favour of a respective war. Vietnam War can be cited as an ideal example. Gulf War and the present crisis in Iraq also can be taken as examples. In Iraq crisis it has created public sentiment against the war as a whole. Bombing on the Amiriya Bunker by the USAF in the
suburb of Baghbad, which killed about 400 civilians, could be another example where media created strong public sentiment against a particular incident in the war. During war, media takes the responsibility to inform the public about the actual condition of the battlefield. By reporting on the actual happenings of the war theatre with analysis and comments it creates a bridge between people and war. In recent days, with an unprecedented development in information technology, the introduction of satellite television and satellite telephone have enhanced the capacity of transmitting the news both at home and abroad from a remote battlefield within, virtually, no time. So the media appear as an important tool of information to the people about a war.
Manipulation and Control of Media during War
During a war very often media is utilized as a propaganda machine. Most of the media owners are from Western countries. So, to support their purpose, knowingly, they remain reluctant to project the truth. For example, US and British bombing on Baghbad after the Gulf War, US bombing on Libya and Sudan were never criticized rather supported by the Western Media. This dual role played by them created confusion and frustration among the third world countries. During war the flow of information from the battlefield is very less mainly due to the security reason. On the other hand, sometimes they publish inflated information that create security hazards. In Falkland War, the dissemination of information
by the military authority was very less because of the security reason. As a result, media started publishing speculative news which ultimately led to confusion among the British citizens. It also concerned the British Armed Forces engaged in the Falkland War. In this circumstances, the judicious handling of media seems to be important.
Media at Present and Modern Wars
In 1971, during our War of Liberation, the occupation Junta did not allow any foreign journalists to cover the massacre but various media people secretly entered the country and basing on their report, the international public opinion came in favour of us. The 'Shadhin Bangla Betar Kcndro' used to broadcast the horror of genocide. Duc to that a number of rallies took place in various corners of the world which drew international attention and sympathy for us. In Vietnam War around 464 members of the media covered a force of more than 5,00,000. In this war media diverted public emotion against the war by showing the horror of war in television which led public pressure to end the war. The world famous Tet Photo' is an example of that where a South Vietnamese Officer was about to kill a 'Victcong' in the open street in broad day light. In the Korean War, initially there were no restrictions imposed on media but later it was felt that the media should be controlled. It is said that America withdrew its troops from 'Operation Restore Hope’ in Somalia not because of their casualty but because of media. In Bosnia Herzegovina or in Kosovo,
media played on important role for which Milosevic had to go to jail for his war crimes. In 1991 in the Gulf War, media imaged Saddam Hossain as a villain. Again at present crisis in Iraq the USA is still in the threshold of attack because of the projection of public opinion around the world.
Media in Future War
Due to free flow of information, people are increasingly becoming aware of the ongoing happenings of the world. Under the liberal democracy, media enjoys maximum freedom. The advent of new communication technology in the global communication helps in free
the media’s role and this dependency on media to know the fact, in future, will certainly be increased. The society oft today and the society of tomorrow will have many differences in the fields of human rights, social value, and democratic rights. No political or military leader can impose an unjustified act on its people in future. It is media which will unite the society against such injustice. In any future war, the media will act as a playmaker which will direct the people about their duty or social responsibility. Media, due to its outstanding influence on the public, can act as force multiplier in future. It can evoke the public sentiment in favour of the military activities. Any war in future will not only seek people's support but also the
flow of information. Again, under the 'Techno democratic revolution’ as Muhammad Ayish termed, both political as well as military leaders will have to justify their every action in any future war. The interdependency between the ’Public right to know’ and media’s sacred job to inform people will certainly increase in future. So media’s influence on the people and people's influence on the strategic policy making will have a very closer relation in future. Day by day, people arc becoming conscious about their human rights. They demand the justification for the steps taken by their government. People are more aware of
support of the whole world. In 1991 Gulf War, at the start of'Desert Shield' President George Bush enjoyed 80% support of the American people. It declined to 60% after September. Once the media started portraying President Saddam as today’s 'Hitler’ and started supporting the American intervention as a ’just' cause, the people's support jumped up to almost 90% during the ’Operation Desert Storm'.
The most significant part of the global communication development is the emergence of many private corporations owned by a new generation of media 'Moguls'. Five major corporations now dominate the
world media. Most notable lords arc Rupert Mardoch and Ted Tcrncr. Under these few media moguls, media cannot be expected to play neutral, accurate and credible role. To counter this, in 1990, the 'Chinese Long March' satellite placed ASIASAT 1 in the orbit and did change the Asian media scenario. In 1991, Star TV began beaming to 38 countries covering a population of 2.7 billion. Thus, out of 184 communication satellites so far placed in the orbit, 17 satellites are placed by the developing countries. Thus some steps arc taken to curb the influence of the Western media imperialism.
Media Management within Armed Forces
The history of war. correspondence says that there were always problems existing in the Armed Forces in dealing with the media specially during war. A former Colonel in the Royal Marines told an incident, which happened in Targanyika in 1964. His men had just taken up their position along the coastal road. Suddenly he received a radio call from a worried junior officer, "Sir, a journalist has arrived. Shall I arrest him?” This was the typical reaction of an army personnel about media people. The army leaders always try to disseminate as less information as possible to the journalists. On the other hand, media people hunt for the information to feed the public. Sometimes, unknowingly, they spread rumours which not only demoralize the public but also create confusion among the troops. To manage this problem in future, army leaders should have a clear-cut idea about handling the media people. So while disseminating the information,
they can weigh out the security aspects of the information. Again, from the media side also, they should employ the persons who have clear knowledge about the security aspects of the information. But surprisingly from the viewers side there were no complaints regarding this censor. So in any future war, military leaders must handle the journalists in a technical way as this matter is very sensitive. In the USA, the top brass officers of the Armed Forces arc trained on handling the media people. They often interact with the media people. They exchange views with them to get the idea about how to behave or how to tackle the media during war. One thing should be dear to the military leaders that, by smooth handling of the media people, the Armed Forces can achieve much. They should consider media as their ally and not enemy and handle them accordingly to get maximum benefit.
Conclusion
The finest use of media in future will certainly bring better results for the military leaders. Projection of public sentiment towards war and thus creation of public opinion may put military leaders cither in a difficult situation or in a favorable situation. As media always tries to gather information, the war correspondents need to be guided properly by the Armed Forces in order to restrict the disclosure of intelligence of a war. Whatever it is, to strengthen the media -military relations and to increase the media’s performance in covering the war both military and media should have more interactions during peacetime to develop better mutual understanding.