The Media and American Invasion of Iraq: A Tale of Two Wars

Words play an effective role in determining the impact of media on people's attitudes and reactions to events. And it is known that media can play either a positive or a negative role in people's lives, and the trends of any media are governed by the goals and strategies of those who use and direct the media machinery. This has occurred clearly in the consequences of the tragic events of September 11 2001 and the vital role the media played in that. After the attack on America, a new discourse emerged in the media; this discourse associated the war on Afghanistan, the aftermath of the Taliban defeat and fall of its government with 9/11. This went in tandem with America's invasion and occupation of Iraq, which has significant importance for the deep impact it made on the world in general and in the region in particular. Most importantly, this war has affected the historical and civilized heritage of Iraq. Since, these events have affected the region, their impact have reached the media as well. Then it is of great importance to examine and understand the way media in the region particularly responded to the daily events and developments in Iraq. This article reports an analysis of the discourse used by the media in dealing with the Iraq issue. The discussion focuses primarily on issues pertaining to the general trends of the Arab media in its coverage of events and the specific words used for this purpose, as well as the degree of independence and depth of the coverage. The study is an attempt to raise issues of media discourse analysis and the impact that had on the public's view of the events.