Introduction
The topic selected for the press effect research is the set of news taken from the New York Times, dedicated to the foreign politics of the USA and decisions taken by the US administration. To be more particular in the definitions, the occasion took for the regard is the Iraq campaign and the retuning of the natives to their homes.
The news itself states that: the tide of migration has reversed: the buses and GMC Suburban vans filled with people heading to Damascus infrequently run, while those coming from the border appear every day. Iraqi families who fled their homes in the past two years are returning to Baghdad.
Analysis of the sources
The news is claimed to emphasize that the situation in Iraq is stabilizing and the soon returning home of the American military contingent. It is shown in the phrase that the description of the scope of the return, however, appears to have been massaged by politics. Returnees have essentially become a currency of progress.
As for the other sources denoting these facts, The Washington Post delivers these materials in the context that the homesick Iraqi refugees return to Iraq. “There is nothing sweeter than being in Iraq. I will not leave again,” says 70-year-old grandmother Saadiya Tawfik, whose family struggled to make ends meet after fleeing to neighboring Syria with more than a million other Iraqis.
The fact is that the same event is described in various contexts. Thus, it may be seen that The New York Times represents it as the peaceful returning of the families after the war events. The correspondents of The Washington Post see the problem as the returning of the refugees. The contextual backgrounds of these two meanings differ. The returning home may denote the returning of peaceful citizens, soldiers, partisans, or even Shakhids, who have already put down their weapons. But the “returning of the refugees to their homes” clearly shows the situation, as it is clearly understood who the refugees are, and their retuning means either the stabilization of the political situation in the county or just the changes for the best.
According to Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Paul Waldman in “The press effect,” the definition of the problem defines the issues of publicity, i.e., what people are talking about. As the readers are attracted by the headings, the necessity of a bright one is evident. Thus, the heading that refugees are returning home would be more attractive, as the whole world is anxious with the matters of refugees in the context of increasing the number of democratic states and the spread of the concept of “the democratic world.” Moreover, the article by The Washington Post offers some statistical data by the International Organization of Migration, which states the volumes of the migration flows. On the other hand, The New York times references the survey held by the United Nations Organization: A United Nations survey released last week of 110 Iraqi families leaving Syria also seemed to dispute the contentions of officials in Iraq that people are returning primarily because they feel safer. The survey found that 46 percent were leaving because they could not afford to stay; 25 percent said they fell victim to a stricter Syrian visa policy, and only 14 percent said they were returning because they had heard about improved security.
It also provides the data on the financial help to the Iraqi families:
Minister Sultan says the government is offering financial help to returning families. About 4,000 families have each received 1 million dinars (about $800), while 4,650 more are still waiting for the payments to be processed. “Prime Minister Maliki has also ordered us to pay the costs of trips for families who want to return home from neighboring states by plane and cars,” he said in an interview. “We have talked with the embassies and Iraqi airlines to register the names of people who want to return home,” he said.
As the author of “Out of order” reveals, the concepts of election races and the revealing of the burning issues in the election campaign, the current matter described in the articles may be one of such propaganda issues, which may be used in pre-election speech o one of the candidates. Thomas Patterson discusses the probability of such manipulations of the information, especially by the current administration, as it has been mentioned above; the returning of the refugees may be regarded as the stabilization of the inner situation, which in its turn may be used as the achievement of the current government, and further withdrawal of the American army.
It is interesting to mention that in spite of the actuality of the problem, such authoritative resources as The Wall Street Journal, The Daily News, The New York Post, The Los Angeles Times do not mention this news. Any instance of mentioning the matters of refugees is provided in these sources.
But as for the other newspapers available online, The Washington Times, and The USA Today are also concerned with this matter, and give their own coverage of the problem, pointing the statistics, main tendencies and surely the reasons of returning.
The other point of revealing the details of the information is that experts say that: 30,000 additional U.S. forces arrived for the crackdown in Baghdad and central Iraq, the American commander, Gen. David Petraeus, began stationing many of them in neighborhood outposts. The mission was not only to take back control but to foster neighborhood groups like the one in Khadra to shake off al-Qaeda’s grip.
In spite of the fact that “The press effect” by Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Paul Waldman describe the presidential elections of the year 2000, some of the principles of information manipulation may be used in the approaching 2008 campaign, especially as the whole world expects the appearing of the candidates in mass-media.
The common feature of all the sources is first of all the anxiety of the matter of unstable political and social situation in Iraq, as some Americans may feel shame for their government to interfere in the internal life of the Iraqis: The Washington Times adds the matter of the destructions in Baghdad and in Iraq in general: Maj. Gen. Adnan Jawad Ali, deputy commanding general of Iraq’s ground forces, said that some refugees were arriving home, particularly to Baghdad, to find their houses damaged or looted.
The Iraqi military is deploying in areas where refugees are returning to provide security, but it is up to the government to deal with the problems of damaged or destroyed houses, Gen. Ali said.
But unfortunately, these are the only facts on the matter. Nobody points out the measures taken by the governments of both sides, as the American government should help the newly formed democratic country to build up after the war.
Government challenges
The Pentagon’s December 2007 report to Congress, “Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq,” paints a mixed picture. It indicates that the surge has reduced violence, Iraqis have helped stabilize their country, and Iraq’s economy is improving. But the challenges ahead are daunting if the US wants an Iraq that satisfies the administration’s goal.
President Bush’s goal is a “unified, democratic and federal Iraq that can govern, defend and sustain itself and is an ally in the war on terror.” The 2007 surge, the “New Way Forward Strategy,” has created a stable environment for tackling five challenges critical to Bush’s goal: provide lasting stability, achieve real political objectives, cut unemployment, improve the delivery of essential services and keep the neighbors from being unhelpful.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it would be necessary to emphasize that the political affair of returning the refugees, or simply natives, to their homes. The possibility of using these facts as a part of a pre-election campaign by the candidate from the currently ruling party is quite obvious and may be presented as the achievements of the American government.
As it is described in “the press effect,” a wide-ranging critique of the press’s role in mediating between politicians and the citizens they are supposed to serve. It denotes that the analysis of the press, especially as many sources as possible on the only topic or related topics, may serve the politicians in presenting the achievements or decisions taken by the government or non-governmental bodies.
References
- Damien Cave Pressure for Results: The Politics of Tallying the Number of Iraqis Who Return Home The New York times, 2007
- Wisam Mohammed Homesick Iraqi refugees return to uncertain future The Washington Post, 2007
- Agence France-Presse Refugees coming home clog up border crossings The Washington times, 2007
- Karim Kadim Thousands of Baghdad residents return USA today, 2007