The Cnn Effect In Action: How The News Media Pushed The West Toward War In Kosovo (the Palgrave Macmillan Series In International Political Communication)

The CNN Effect in Action Palgrave Macmillan Series in International Political Communication Series editor Philip Seib, Marquette University (USA) From democratization to terrorism, economic development to conflict resolution, global political dynamics are affected by the increasing pervasiveness and influence of communication media. This series examines the participants and their tools, their strategies and their impact. It offers a mix of comparative and tightly focused analyses that bridge the various elements of communication and political science included in the field of international studies. Particular emphasis is placed on topics related to the rapidly changing communication environment that is being shaped by new technologies and new political realities. This is the evolving world of international political communication. Editorial Board Members: Hussein Amin, American University in Cairo (Egypt) Robin Brown, University of Leeds (UK) Eytan Gilboa, Bar-Ilan University (Israel) Steven Livingston, George Washington University (USA) Robin Mansell, London School of Economics and Political Science (UK) Holli Semetko, Emory University (USA) Ingrid Volkmer, University of Otago (New Zealand) Books Appearing in this Series Media and the Politics of Failure: Great Powers, Communication Strategies, and Military Defeats By Laura Roselle The CNN Effect in Action: How the News Media Pushed the West toward War in Kosovo By Babak Bahador The CNN Effect in Action How the News Media Pushed the West toward War in Kosovo Babak Bahador THE CNN EFFECT IN ACTION © Babak Bahador, PhD, 2007. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. First published in 2007 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN™ 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 and Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England RG21 6XS Companies and representatives throughout the world. PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin’s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN-13: 978–1–4039–7519–5 ISBN-10: 1–4039–7519–1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bahador, Babak. The CNN effect in action : how the news media pushed the West toward war in Kosovo / by Babak Bahador. p. cm. Based on the author’s Ph. D. dissertation—London School of Economics. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1–4039–7519–1 (alk. paper) 1. Kosovo (Serbia)—History—Civil War, 1988–1999—Press coverage. 2. Kosovo (Serbia)—History—Civil War, 1998–1999—Mass media and the war. I. Title. DR2087.6.P72B34 2006 948.7103—dc22 2006049547 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India. First edition: May 2007 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America. Content s List of Tables ix List of Graphs xi Foreword by Steven Livingston xiii Acknowledgments xix Introduction xxi Abbreviations xxiii PART I The CN