How does the media shape foreign policy decision making
How does the media shape foreign policy decision-making?
“For many journalists, policy-makers and scholars, there really is little doubt that media profoundly affect the foreign policy process" (Livingston, 1997)
In discussing the role of the media in foreign policy decisions, one is on some level discussing the role of public opinion in foreign policy. The mass media are ‘the primary conduit between the public and the policy makers; policymakers follow media reports on public opinion, and the media are the public’s chief source of information on what policymakers are doing’. In addition, it is at the discretion of a broadcaster or newspaper to determine news content and balance of coverage. As such, the public only become aware of certain events if they are deemed worthy of coverage by the media, and will receive this information as it is framed by the media. As such, if one reasons that public opinion plays a key role in shaping foreign policy, by implication one is arguing that the media is also an important part of this process. Indeed, Alex Mintz and David Brule found that ‘U.S. presidents refrain from using force when opposition to intervention is high and are likely to use force when public support for such actions is above 50 percent’., so broadly speaking, public support, even by the slightest majority, is vital in the foreign policy considerations of democratic countries. With the media playing a role in exposing the public to the issues and in shaping public opinion, one has to assert that the media plays an important role in foreign policy decision making. Where there is some debate, and what this essay focuses on, is whether the media shapes foreign policy decision making, and if so the ways in which it does this, or indeed whether it is the media coverage that is shaped by the decision makers. The ‘CNN Effect’ is one way to explain the role of the media in shaping foreign policy, particularly in relation to humanitarian intervention. This phrase
“For many journalists, policy-makers and scholars, there really is little doubt that media profoundly affect the foreign policy process" (Livingston, 1997)
In discussing the role of the media in foreign policy decisions, one is on some level discussing the role of public opinion in foreign policy. The mass media are ‘the primary conduit between the public and the policy makers; policymakers follow media reports on public opinion, and the media are the public’s chief source of information on what policymakers are doing’. In addition, it is at the discretion of a broadcaster or newspaper to determine news content and balance of coverage. As such, the public only become aware of certain events if they are deemed worthy of coverage by the media, and will receive this information as it is framed by the media. As such, if one reasons that public opinion plays a key role in shaping foreign policy, by implication one is arguing that the media is also an important part of this process. Indeed, Alex Mintz and David Brule found that ‘U.S. presidents refrain from using force when opposition to intervention is high and are likely to use force when public support for such actions is above 50 percent’., so broadly speaking, public support, even by the slightest majority, is vital in the foreign policy considerations of democratic countries. With the media playing a role in exposing the public to the issues and in shaping public opinion, one has to assert that the media plays an important role in foreign policy decision making. Where there is some debate, and what this essay focuses on, is whether the media shapes foreign policy decision making, and if so the ways in which it does this, or indeed whether it is the media coverage that is shaped by the decision makers. The ‘CNN Effect’ is one way to explain the role of the media in shaping foreign policy, particularly in relation to humanitarian intervention. This phrase