War on Democracy: A Case Study of the Coverage of the Iraq War by
CBS Evening News, CNN NewsNight, and PBS NewsHour
Student: Esther M.K.D. Kreider-Verhalle
Thesis Advisor: Deirdre Boyle
Abstract: This thesis examines how well television media fulfilled their roles during the coverage of the war in Iraq. Democratic theorists, representing various schools of thought, do not agree on the roles the media are supposed to fulfill in a democracy, but some agreement exists about the media’s duty to provide information, represent public opinion, and serve as a watchdog vis-à-vis those in power. In this thesis, it is argued that during the war in Iraq these classic liberal media roles have been endangered and the roles of propaganda and censorship have come into stronger play. Abandoning these classical liberal roles while simultaneously strengthening other roles-such as propaganda and censorship-changes the function of news media in a democratic system. It is argued that this revision of roles does not make the democratic system and, ultimately, the nation stronger. When the country is at war, the classic liberal roles of the media are essential if democracy is to prevail.