Review by Choice Review
Since 2001, the global war on terror (GWOT) has been a dominant topic for journalists and policy makers, notes Brandle (Kingsborough Community College). Closely connected to it are human rights stories. Brandle examines GWOT and the CNN Effect, or media influence on government discourse, and policy toward humanitarian actions. Television is one of the most pervasive media. Brandle's study examines television news coverage in the US and UK, two of the world's major industrial nations and allies, to determine that medium's portrayal of human rights related to the GWOT. Brandle's quantitative study analyzed 20 years of film footage using several different types of content analyses. Her results reveal a sparse coverage of human rights by the media of these two countries. Thus, she argues, viewers in these two industrialized nations are provided with very limited knowledge of actual situations, particularly in Third World countries. This study on international communication is extremely focused, and should appeal to a very specific audience. It should especially interest scholars of international studies, political science, and journalism. Summing Up: Recommended. Only graduate students and faculty. --Rebekah Ray, independent scholar
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
