The Military and The Media in Combat: Winning the Hearts and Minds of the American Public

Abstract

The military needs to redress its relationship with the media in combat operations with an eye toward change. While advances in media technology have precipitated this need for change the root problem is a lack of professional understanding between the military and the media. This paper seeks to frame the current relationship between the military and media by examining past operations in Grenada, Panama, and Iraq in terms of evolving media access and military control since Vietnam. This examination will focus on the intended and unintended consequences of the military's handling of the media and the resulting lessons learned. It will then look at the nature of more recent peacekeeping operations and suggest that the past is not necessarily a benchmark for the future. The paper will conclude with suggestions for improving the relationship between the military and the media in combat operations.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 10, 2000
Accession Number
ADA376343

Entities

People

  • Murrell F. Stinnette

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Cyber
  • Human Systems
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Combat Operations
  • Education
  • Governments
  • Information Operations
  • Information Systems
  • Lessons Learned
  • Military Education
  • Military Operations
  • Military Personnel
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • New York
  • Public Opinion
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Electromagnetic Wave Scattering and Antenna Radiation Engineering
  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies