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Dissonance
Overview
• YouTube and the US occupation of Iraq –
Christensen
o Propaganda vs. public diplomacy
o Noopolitik
• Amateur Photojournalism and the Myth of Media
Democracy – Nemanic
o Grassroots journalism
o Media democracy—does it exist?
• Examples
• Questions/Areas of exploration
Christensen: YouTube and
the US Occupation of Iraq
• MNFIRAQ – what is it?
o YouTube channel 2007
o US Defense Department
o “boots on ground
perspective” of war
o Sanitized version of war
o No profanity,
graphic/disturbing content
3 Types of Videos
oStreet fighting
oSurgical warfare
oGood deeds
Steetfighting
• Typical gun battle scenes
• Enemy always initiating contact
• US Soldiers defending/ returning
fire
• Calm & Collected manner
• No results or casualties shown
Surgical Warfare
• Involves bombing from helicopter or airplane
• Destroy selected targets (terrorists, weapons) that
posses threat
• Very accurate and precise
• Again no carnage shown
“Good Deeds”
• Christensen – “Feel good material”
• Display troops in positive light
• Show good relations between
citizens & troops
• Ex – Shaking hands, playing with
kids, laughing
Good deeds? – Opposing Content
• Example of propagandistic dissonance
• YouTube decentralized nature
• Opposing content makes propaganda
difficult
• Level of control much more difficult
• Alternative clips appear side by side
Good deeds? – Apache Kills
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Shows high power ammunition
Body part exploded
Shows wounded person
Propaganda relies on censorship
US soldiers uploading own clips disrupts
this
Traditional Propaganda
• Nazi Germany clip
• YouTube, Google Video, didn’t
exist
• No alternative view
• Easier to implement propaganda
Propaganda vs. public
diplomacy
• Propagandistic Dissonance
• Realpolitik and noopolitik
• What we see here is noopolitik—
o Control over thought
o “deliberate, regulated decontrol
o Noopolitik may ultimately be about whose story
wins 159
In what other ways are we
exposed to “noopolitik”
propaganda?
Magazines and
Advertising
• For corporate gain
o We’re more sensitive to government
propaganda but advertising is just as
prominent
• Bernays—propaganda vs.
public relations, sound
familiar?
“Must-haves”, “Perfect
dresses” etc
VS
Media dissonance
Media myths: Good Girl vs. Bad Girl
VS
Militainment
TV Shows
• Glorified view of government organizations
• “But in the war over public opinion, video-sharing
sites such as YouTube and Google video have, it
appears, begun to restructure the balance of storytelling power”
o Christensen 173
Has it really?
“Amateur Photojournalism and
the Myth of the Media
Democracy”
Question for the class
Is photojournalism dead?
Yes?
Because:
• Professional photojournalists push corporate
agenda
• Biased
• Fake/staged images
But Nemanic says No…
• Digital Divide
• Photojournalism requires education, talent,
experience
• Professional images= superior quality
• Photojournalist more willing to take risks for greater
images
• Civilian journalism is short lived—edges on
sensationalism
G20 – citizen perspective
G20 – CTV perspective
• Grass roots – “ involving the common people”
o Princeton Wordnet
• Media democracy
o global social movement developed to open up mass media to a range of
ideas and diverse voices that are repressed through media ownership
o But these are two separate things!
• Idea of authenticity
Occupy Wall Street
Are these images more
authentic than…
Culture and Citizen
Journalism
• Audience appropriation and modification of media
texts
• John Fiske culture—“an active process of
generating and circulating meanings and pleasures
within the social system”
• Audience interests are short lived
Discussion: Is this citizen
journalism?
Bed Intruder- original news
report
Bed Intruder Song –
audience appropriation
Media democracy?
Media democracy?
Censorship?
Further questions
• Do you agree with Nemanic?
• Can citizen and professional journalists work
together?
• How does/can one complement the other?
• Final conclusions?