Projections of Power: Framing News, Public Opinion, and U.S. Foreign Policy

Studies in Communication, Media, and Public Opinion

by Robert M. Entman

To succeed in foreign policy, U.S. presidents have to sell their versions or framings of political events to the news media and to the public. But since the end of the Cold War, journalists have increasingly resisted presidential views, even offering their own spin on events. What, then, determines whether the media will accept or reject the White House perspective? And what consequences does this new media environment have for policymaking and public opinion?

To answer these questions, Robert M. Entman develops a powerful new model of how media framing works—a model that allows him to explain why the media cheered American victories over small-time dictators in Grenada and Panama but barely noticed the success of far more difficult missions in Haiti and Kosovo. Discussing the practical implications of his model, Entman also suggests ways to more effectively encourage the exchange of ideas between the government and the media and between the media and the public. His book will be an essential guide for political scientists, students of the media, and anyone interested in the increasingly influential role of the media in foreign policy.

Genres: Nonfiction, Social Science, Politics

229 pages, Paperback

First published December 15, 2003

About the author

Robert Mathew Entman is the J.B. and M.C. Shapiro Professor of Media and Public Affairs and Professor of International Affairs at George Washington University.

Reviews

[Gabritiaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Page 126: “Rather than attending carefully to polls, most leaders find their interpretations of public opinion by consulting other leaders and news coverage.”

“A 1998 survey of eighty-one members of Congress, ninety-eight presidential appointees, and 151 members of the Senior Executive Service found evidence that media reports are the most important source of executive branch officials’ perceptions of public sentiment, more important than polls.”

[Patricia Roberts-Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving it four stars just because it's a scholarly book, and I know a lot of readers won't like that aspect of it.

Thorough research on how media, "popular opinion," and government elite interact in terms of policy commitment.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very pertinent read given today's events. I'd say the cascade model holds up well.