I believe the media is obsessed with conflict and confrontation because it makes a good story. More than half of the public says they followed the protests over the disputed re-election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad either very closely (28%) or fairly closely (28%).
The obsession with war journalism has become the standard and as a result, political agenda is at the forefront of much of our news. The media operated through journalism of attachment by highlighting the similarities between the people of Tehran and Americans, and covered from a standpoint of good vs. evil. This type of coverage sounds OK in theory, but this coverage reinforced the ideology of nation and other.
The coverage highlighted religious differences with images of organized prayer in the Middle East. The government of Iran, (other) was seen as savage and brutal, creating a mindset that “other” was synonymous with conflict and turmoil. This type of coverage leads Americans, to expect this type of behavior from a group such as “other.”
We are hailed into thinking that we should be thankful that we live in a country with constitutional rights that protect our right to assemble and speak openly and freely against our government. This type of coverage on a larger political scale normalizes conflict for the region.
