The CNN Effect: Myth of News, Foreign Policy and Intervention

by Piers Robinson

The last decade has seen an increased willingness by Western governments to use force to intervene in distant humanitarian crises, and this has been coupled with significant levels of media attention on the human casualties of war and conflict. Central to this new policy of intervention is the so-called 'CNN Effect': the saturation of western viewers with non-stop, real-time news footage of wars and military actions on television and the Internet. In turn, these images constitute a powerful plea for action. But can news media drive foreign policy, or are governments oblivious to partial news coverage? Are there any connections between media coverage of humanitarian crisis and Western interventions and what is the truth behind the CNN Effect? The CNN Effect examines the relationship between the state and its media, and considers the role played by the news reporting in a series of 'humanitarian' interventions in Iraq, Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo and Rwanda. Piers Robinson challenges traditional views of media subservience and argues that sympathetic news coverage at key moments in foreign crises can influence the response of Western governments.

Kindle Edition

First published July 11, 2002