clipped from www.cmfr.com.ph

Review The Lebanon-Israeli war through the eyes of CNN and BBC Demonizing the 'Enemy'

Jamal Ashley Abbas

IN MANY ways, the just-concluded Israel-Lebanon war was unique.

It was the first war directly covered by different TV networks on the ground. While the combatants—the Israeli armed forces and the Lebanese resistance corps, Hezbollah—imposed restrictions, international journalists had access to the bombed sites, the affected civilians, and all sectors of local society. The opportunity to give more first-hand, in-depth information to the viewers was greater than ever.

Because of the advances in communications technology—cell phones, digital cameras, internet, blogging, etc.—the issue for the protagonists was not how to control or refuse access, but more on how to manage information in order to mold public opinion.