War, Media, and Propaganda: A Global Perspective

There has been a reflex throughout the history of modern news: When the country goes to war, so do the major news organizations. They consider it ”patriotic.” But it is dubious patriotism that abandons citizens in unnecessary ignorance of critical information. . . . The before-and-after picture of United States officialdom presents a stark lesson of the tragedies of war and propaganda repeated in the major media. — Ben H. Bagdikian, from the foreword

Lee Artz, a former machinist and steelworker, is Professor of Media Studies at Purdue University Northwest. He has published ten books (including Global Entertainment Media, Marxism and Communication Studies, and The Media Globe) and scores of chapters and journal articles on international media, cultural hegemony, and democratic communication. He is a founder and research fellow at Purdue Northwest’s Center for Global Studies.

Norman Solomon served as rabbi to Orthodox congregations in England for 22 years, after which he engaged in interfaith relations, setting up the Centre for the Study of Judaism and Christian-Jewish Relations at Birmingham and taking part in international interfaith conferences in more than 20 countries. In 1995 he was appointed Lecturer in Modern Jewish Thought at Oxford, and though now retired remains a member of Wolfson College, Oxford and the Oxford University Teaching and Research Unit in Hebrew and Jewish Studies.