War and Mass Media

    Welcome. My name is Michelle Holbert and I am currently a Senior at Arizona State University studying Journalism and Mass Communications with a concentration in Public Relations and a related area in Political Science. I am beginning this blog as a class project in a course that explores digital media entrepreneurship. I decided to research media trends in the United States in times of war and conflict. I will explore media trends from WWI to the present day media coverage in Iraq.

    My interest in media trends during war and times of crisis began with a course I took that focused on War and the Mass Media. I had the opportunity to research and learn how media has transcended throughout time and the process of channeling information from battle zone to the public is quite fascinating. Over the winter, I took a course on American Foreign Policy and did in depth research on the Vietnam War. It was interesting to learn about government and military interaction with the press during times of conflict.

    The purpose of this blog is to encourage readers to explore media trends and provoke insight on whether there should be government, military censorship and absolute freedom of expression throughout times of war. Do we as citizens have the right to be informed on all aspects of war? In order to ensure public safety is there times that the government and military should have the right to withhold information from the public? Where do we draw the line between freedom of expression and censorship? We will explore these questions by examining mass media trends throughout war by using different articles, videos and case studies. I invite you to post provocative statements and encourage open discussion on this matter. One day I hope to become involved in public policy and I value the importance of dialogue within the community in order to tackle these controversial conversations.