-Caveat Lector- US media move away from Bush http://media.guardian.co.uk/presspublishing/story/0,7495,900500,00.html Patrick Barrett Friday February 21, 2003 The Guardian
The US media has begun to turn against President George Bush's hard line on military action against Iraq. A majority of the country's top newspapers now oppose any attack on Iraq by US and British forces without the full support if the international community. Influenced by the massive anti-war demonstrations staged around the world last weekend and the growing rift between the US and the less hawkish countries led by France and Germany, American press coverage has seen a substantial shift away from backing an immediate war regardless of international opinion. A survey of 37 leading US papers publishing editorials between February 15 and 19 found that almost two thirds now called for a "world coalition" to be formed before any military action in the Middle East. 15 newspapers across the US were categorised as "hawkish" in editorial stance, nine as "doves" and 13 as internationalist in positioning by a survey carried out by Editor & Publisher, a weekly magazine covering the north American newspaper industry. The current press majority against unilateral action is in marked contrast to the findings of a similar survey carried out on February 7, immediately after Secretary of State Colin Powell's presentation of evidence of Iraq's activities involving weapons of mass destruction. At this stage, those calling for international unity were a distinct minority. According to the research, the call for UN backing has now become an established theme in most major newspapers, in marked contrast to right leaning TV networks and papers such as Fox news and the New York Post, both owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Papers such as the Detroit Free Press, the Dallas Morning News, Minneapolis-based the Star Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle and Orange County Register represented the prevailing opinion. "If war becomes necessary, it will be better waged by the world than by even a broad 'coalition of the willing. The world remains safer if the peace-seeking United Nations remains intact," thundered the Detroit Free Press. Several papers such as the Fort Worth (Texas) and the Oregonian in Portland, advised the President to recognise the importance of the weekend's protests. "Heed the voices - peace demonstrations have a point: Bush hasn't made a strong enough case for war now," said the Newsday in Melville, New York on February 18. However, larger papers with international reach such as the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post were staunchly pro-war. "The weekend's protests across Europe and elsewhere, impressive as they were in terms of sheer numbers, only provide yet another, if secondary, reason for prompt action," said the Journal this week. Despite growing calls for international unity, "French bashing" amongst the US press has become a popular theme. Top of the Francophobes were the New York Daily News, and Murdoch owned New York Post, but others joined in: "Now who's the cowboy?" the Detroit News asked. "French prime minister Jacques Chirac pitched a raging tantrum after several Eastern European countries defied attempts to bully them beneath France's skirts." The changing views of the US press reflect a recent survey of TV coverage, which found that the British broadcast media is taking a hard line on the US administration with 33% of news stories classed as negative. 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