WAM: Book Review

Propaganda, the Press and Conflict: The Gulf War and Kosovo is based on Willcox’s doctoral thesis, written at the University of Kent (UK). It sets out to identify and track propaganda in the British press during periods of conflict, specifically the 1991 Gulf War and the 1999 Kosovo conflict. Wilcox approaches this topic in a logical sequence throughout the book, addressing the various issues individually but cumulatively offering a good understanding of the topic.

Wilcox’s primary claim is that the media in the UK during the Gulf War and Kosovo conflict in large supported the government ‘line’, which favoured intervention. To substantiate this, he begins with an analysis of a number of linguistic terms, including the term propaganda and the various ways it is defined and measured. Further, he examines the traditions and culture of the British press, and provides a historical context of the relationship between mass media and reportage of wars in which the United Kingdom has been involved. Wilcox chooses to focus only on print media in his analysis, more specifically a mix of six national broadsheets and tabloids. However, throughout, a wide variety of academic and professional sources are additionally used.

Through his analysis, Wilcox makes a convincing case for his main proposition that the media have the tendency to serve the interests of government policy and the military when the “guns start firing” and fail to act in the capacity of an independent watchdog, in spite of opportunities to do so. Wilcox grounds this argument in an analysis of five key themes: portrayal of the leader figure, portrayal of the enemy, military threat, threat to international stability and technological warfare. Whilst only focusing on print media, Wilcox stresses that different types of media compliment each other rather than compete against each other. Although visual media tend to be viewed as more influential, he argues that the effects of 24 hour news and the demand for sensation on a series of tight deadlines has rendered visual media as somewhat superficial and lacking analysis. In contrast, print media have more time and ability to reflect and analyse events.

Wilcox’s focus on the debate regarding the increasing politicisation of modern warfare and the complicated relationship that exists between government – media – public in the struggle for public opinion and legitimacy is interesting. Although primarily examining past wars, these issues remain very relevant in today’s current turbulent world in the age of the US led Global War on Terror. Hence, although the book is written from a historical perspective, focused on one country and only examines print media study it serves as a good point with which to develop the author’s hypothesis to a larger and broader context. However, in contrast to Wilcox I differ on the opinion that the war in Kosovo has already been won (page 4). It is still a very volatile and uncertain matter today and one that requires the presence of ground troops.

In summary, Propaganda, the Press and Conflict: The Gulf War and Kosovo is written in an accessible manner, is easily understandable and will be useful to a variety of readers, particularly (as Wilcox states) the historian and student of propaganda.