Week 4

This week we learned about framing and cascading. Both are substantive and procedural. The substantive part is the event itself and the procedural part is "how did we get to this point?" We also learned about salience as that which is most prominent or of the most importance. We then talked about cascading, the process of in which information flows and filters its way from the administration to the public via the elites, opinion leaders, and the media. Then, we took three seemingly unrelated news stories in order to emphasize the danger of defining issues too narrowly, thus isolating individual "necessaries" in an effort to turn them into "sufficients". Too immediately categorize and pigeonhole any story and say its not related to another is dangerous. We also talked about Entman's argument that lots of factors , not just press coverage, weigh in on the minds of decision makers and the public , affecting the outcomes of events.

1. what happens when one story is immediately deemed as irrelevant to another?
2. Is it possible to deem to many stories as being linked or related to each other?

1. When a story is deemed irrelevant immediately, the effects of it on another issue or event are completely and immediately ignored. By pigeonholing stories, decision maker's don't get the chance to consider outcomes that will occur because of the pigeonholed events, leading to an incomplete and ineffective policy or decision.

week 3

In the readings for this week, we discussed framing and the cascade model. We learned that the media's political influences arise from how they respond - from their ability to frame news in ways that favor one side or another. The book advances a model of cascading activation as a way to explain who wins. The standard definition of framing is selecting and highlighting some facets of events or issues, and making connections among them so as to promote a particular interpretation, evaluation,and / or solution. We talked about knowledge networks and spreading activation and how first impressions are hard to dislodge. We talked about how cultural congruence measures the ease with which a new frame can cascade through different levels of the framing process and stimulates similar reactions at each step. We also talked about magnitude, or magnifying elements of a depicted reality that favor one side's position, making them salient, while at the same time shrinking those elements that might be used to construct a counter-frame. We concluded that the central goal over all political maneuvering over news frames is simply to generate support or opposition to a political actor or policy. Also, when a single frame thoroughly dominates politically, impressive majorities will come to congruent understandings.

1. Can the way an event is framed backfire, or give unexpected results?
2. Is there any other reason that governments control the way things are frame other than to gain support or opposition for an actor or issue?

1. The framing of an event can backfire if the decision makers in charge of the framing do not take into account who their intended audiences are and who else might possibly view the way they frame something. Emphasizing one element may produce the desired response in the target audience, but if it is viewed by an unintended audience, it may produce serious negative consequences.

Week 16

This week we continued the reading on how and why the US, the UN and the Western media ignored the lead up to the September 11th attacks. A major failure of the National Council on Terrorism was to only designate Afghanistan as a sponsor of terrorism and impose economic sanctions instead of putting policies to prevent and punish terrorism. Both the government and the media viewed terrorism as a nuisance that required little attention. It was a mistake to put only counter terrorism experts in charge of counter terrorism. Counter terrorist tactics will not defeat a movement that is grounded in fanatical ideology. We also talked about how diplomacy that is not backed by a credible threat of the use of force will not work, just as the use of force without a clear diplomatic purpose will fail. The Clinton administrations failure was to develop counterterrorism tactics in Afghanistan without a political strategy. The major point of the book we looked at was that the 9/11 attack was not so much an intelligence or military failure as a strategic foreign policy failure. The lesson proposed by the book for the media is the continuing coverage from all over the world where the US does not have an active policy. It is the conflicts in these faraway places that have created the environments for criminals to flourish. In this way, the media will keep the general public informed and will be able to get the government to act on issues that it would otherwise ignore.

1. If the US government and media followed the course of action outlined in the reading, would 9/11 have happened?
2.

Week 15

This week we went over the group projects and the press conference. We talked about group communications, and how two people in a group, without trying to be devious, will take initiative beyond the requirement out of altruism because they are frustrated about a policy not moving fast enough or information not being clear enough. This was an example of a lack of communication within the group. Also, any attempt to give out perfect communication or to seek perfection in any aspect will ultimately lead to frustration. Perfection is the enemy of good, because if you try to pursue perfection, you will come up too little or too late. We also looked at the questions that the heads of organizations were trying to answer, like "Who said what to whom? and "which member told this non-member that?" We also deciphered why the press is so relentless in obtaining information; they are trying to get as much information as possible, even though they know the most they could ever get is around 90%. The simulation made the imperfections of the system jump out. We also started talking about the Gutman reading by discussing how after the Soviets left Afghanistan, enthusiasm was limited because there was no desire to start a wider conflict.

1. What would happen if it were possible to have perfect information within the simulation?
2. What would have happened if the US remained interested in Afghanistan after the Soviets left?

It is nearly impossible to tell how the simulation would run if everyone would have perfect information. It may lead to less frustration within groups, but it is unlikely that it would lead to agreement among everyone. Just because two groups know everything, it does not mean that they will agree because they have different interests.

Week 14

This week the entire class presented their projects in a press conference. It was interesting to see how all of the different groups' work came together and maintained relevant to each other. The previous days were hectic as my mailbox was constantly flooded by items coming in over the news wire. Our group spent quite a while putting together our video while maintaining contacts with media outlets and politicians. It was interesting to see how different groups chose to frame different issues and events. The question and answer portions were of particular interest, as some people were caught off guard while others managed to get around the questions successfully. I felt it was a good experience to gain a deeper understanding of the foreign policy process and the relationship between governments, media, and non-state actors.

1. What would have happened if, within each group, moles or rogue actors were secretly assigned?
2. What restraints were there on the simulation?

1. It definitely would have been very interesting if there were moles or rogue actors within the situation. There would have been much more disinformation leading to confusion and miscommunication and ensuing witch hunts to find out where the leaks are coming from. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, it would probably not be able to play out completely and create more trouble than its worth.

Week 13

This week we read about the depictions of the crafty and cunning American spy was embedded into American psyche by television shows during the Cold War. We also read about how times of crisis effect how Americans view their identity. It is interesting to see how early on in the Cold War, television networks put forth programming that supported patriotism and American ideals in order to gain support from the government and avoid persecution form Red Scare witch hunts. What's even more interesting is that with the decline of the Red Scare, these serious spy thrillers became more comedic and parodies of themselves. We saw how an analysis of the evolution of these shows gives us a tool to examine American nationalism and its portrayal in the media. This week we also handed out the role assignments for the simulation. Luckily I don't have to go it alone on the project, as I am part of a popular media group. I'm the head of A&R for NHM Music, but I'm not exactly sure how to frame that in terms of media and foreign policy. Our group met together after class and it looks to be a very interesting project.

1. Where there any other genre of popular media that was influenced by the Cold War?
2. What role does music play in the foreign policy process?


1. Two genres of popular media that were affected by the Cold War are Western films and theater. Two examples of this are the film High Noon and the play The Crucible. The Crucible is about the actual witch hunts in Salem, an almost direct parallel to the McCarthy hearings. High Noon was also influenced by the Cold War because of the main role of the countdown to the arrival of the antagonist, a parallel to the countdown to the end of containment and nuclear destruction.

Week 12

This week in class we discussed the role of popular culture in mass media and art and how it is involved in the foreign policy process. Popular culture has a degree of mass appeal and mass attention and does not occur in a hypodermic process. When looking at pop culture, we cannot toss it by the way side and dismiss it as background noise. We must look at pop culture in terms of certain political functions. The four specific political functions that we use to assess pop culture and its role in politics are its function to define, to socialize, to mobilize, and to transform. We also dispelled the myth that art sparks change by showing that, usually, elements of change influence the art. We also discussed how art rarely alters the way in which someone views society completely. If a piece of pop culture does transform its audience, however, there is a lot of instability as people throw out all their fundamental beliefs and try to redefine themselves. Art doesn't serve as a trans formative vehicle in itself. We also watched the documentary Hollywood Vietnam. This film showed the impact of popular culture and its impact on public opinion. It shows how Hollywood had the benefit of not having to report things as they happened. They could wait a few years in order to derive some meaning from the situation and to find the zeitgeist. Movies did not necessarily depict what the soldiers went through, but they definitely effected the public's perception of Vietnam. The movies were also made to reflect the sentiments for their target audiences. These sentiments may not have been 100% accurate. It's also interesting to note that there are not many films concerning the decision making and politics behind the Vietnam War.

1. How did Hollywood influence the American public's view of the Gulf War?
2. Are there any pieces of art or pop culture that did transform beliefs dramatically?

1. With films such as Jarhead and We Three Kings, the depiction of the Gulf War has helped to form an image in the minds of the general public. The films shaped the public's idea of what war is like and how it negatively influences soldiers.