Date of Graduation

2004

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

Committee Chair

R. Ivan Pinnell

Abstract

This study evaluates the positive and negative aspects of major American newspaper coverage of the Persian Gulf War in 1991 and the war in Iraq in 2003. Embedded coverage in 2003 was presumed to generate more positive coverage than under the press pool system in 1991. However, both the overall coverage of six newspapers in 1991 and six in 2003 were framed positively toward the American missions. When comparing means of positive and negative coverage among the newspapers, no significant differences in overall coverage were found. The coverage of the Persian Gulf War, however, was slightly more positive. There was a mean difference found when observing neutrality. The 2003 coverage was more neutral. The content analysis of newspaper coverage also found a more narrow range of sources used by the embedded reporters in 2003, and U.S. soldiers (when compared to U.S. military officers) were quoted more often in 2003.

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