Synopses & Reviews
The role that the press plays in foreign policy is generally seen as taking one of two forms. It is either cited as an active participant in the policy process or as an instrument to be molded and manipulated by the president and his media managers. This study challenges both of these views and demonstrates that the press is neither a powerful force in foreign policy nor under the control of the government in its reporting of foreign policy. Nicholas Berry concludes that to a far greater extent than with domestic policies, the press is at one with the foreign policy establishment, accepting the government's assumptions and formulations until a policy begins to fail. At this outcome stage, the government tries, unsuccessfully, to manipulate the critical press.
The study is based on a content analysis of The New York TimeS≪/i>' reporting of foreign policy disasters. Five case studies were chosen for five recent presidents: the Bay of Pigs (Kennedy), Vietnam (Johnson), the Cambodian incursion (Nixon), the Iran hostage crisis (Carter), and the 1982-1984 intervention in Lebanon (Reagan). In each case, The New York TimeS≪/i>' articles were examined and analyzed against the administration's foreign policy statements. Berry details the policy orientation of each administration, describes the TimeS≪/i>' coverage, and draws conclusions in all five cases. In a final chapter he discusses the implications of his findings and addresses such issues as the difference between domestic and foreign policy reporting and the notion that foreign-based correspondents are more critical of foreign policy than are U.S.-based reporters. Two appendices and a bibliography are also included. This important study will be a valuable resource for courses in journalism, behavioral studies on the media, and American foreign policy, and a significant addition to public, college, and university libraries.
Review
A remarkable combination of systematic analysis and fascinating case studies of the symbiosis between journalists and the U.S. foreign policy elite.J. David Singer University of Michigan
Synopsis
This study challenges the notions that the U.S. press is either an active participant in the foreign policy process or an instrument of presidential manipulation. Based on a content analysis of New York Times' reporting of five recent foreign policy disasters, Berry explores the thesis that the press accepts administration assumptions on foreign policy matters, but only until the policy fails. The work also addresses the differences between domestic and foreign policy reporting, and compares the work of foreign-based correspondents with that of U.S.-based reporters.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [159]-160) and index.
About the Author
NICHOLAS O. BERRY is a Professor and the Chairperson of the Department of Politics at Ursinus College.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction: The Press Is a Moon and Not a Sun; It Only Reflects Light
Kennedy and the Bay of Pigs: The Press Oinks and Then Squeals
Johnson and Vietnam: The Press Goes to War and Then Goes Against the War
Nixon and Cambodia: The Press and the President Part Company
Carter and the Iranian Hostages: The Press Reports Rhetoric and Then Confronts Reality
Reagan and the Intervention in Lebanon: An Unquestioning Press Finally Question
Findings, Implications, and Conclusions
Appendices
Selected Bibliography
Index