Media Reaction

MEADIA REACTION

Media Reaction

University of Phoenix

SOC315

November 7, 2007

Media Reaction

Introduction

In this paper I will be covering the movie, "Live From Baghdad." I will be going over how this movie discusses or illustrates the portrayal of diversity in the media, to what extent the media relied on stereotypes when depicting a certain group, and assess whether or not I believe this movie fostered a better understanding of diversity and multiculturalism. This war was fought with less criticism and rejection by our country but looking back seems to be just as important.

Movie Background

The Gulf War, 1991. No story is worth dying for - but this was the story of a lifetime. In "Live From Baghdad," a movie produced and released in 2002, a group of CNN reporters wrestle with journalistic ethics and the life-and-death perils of reporting during the Gulf War. The CNN crew of: Bernard Shaw, Peter Arnett, and John Holliman, also known as the boys from Baghdad, stayed behind during the bombing in Iraq. CNN became the only news organization to broadcast first-hand live reports. What we didn't see was the heroics of the team and the political posturing that was required to get the story. This movie is based on CNN producer Robert Wiener's memories of event. The movie opens one year prior to the Gulf War, beginning with Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. Wiener works and becomes close friends with an Iraqi official, which gives the CNN team a leg up with Saddam Hussein and the rest of the Iraqi Forces. This movie stars Michael Keaton as Robert Wiener.

Diversity in the American Landscape

This movie did a very good job of showing diversity in the American landscape. It showed the different ways of life and culture in another country we were at war with. It showed their everyday routines before and after the bombings. It showed how the war had changed their life and what it had done to their community. We got to see how we felt about the war in America and how it changed our everyday routine very little. Two countries are at war with each other yet one is changed dramatically forever and the other barely realizes the effects of what is going on. In reality, the Iraqi people are just like American's for the most part. They have a lot of the same dreams, goals, cultural norms, and ambitions. This movie showed very well the big impact it had on the community.

Extent of Stereotypes

From watching this movie I believe they threw every stereotype known out of the window. During and after the movie we were not looking at these people as infidels. In the movie the day before all media stations and their employees were evacuated from the country. Some stragglers were left behind and the CNN team. The stragglers took refuge in a bomb shelter underneath the hotel while the CNN news team stayed in their hotel room and filmed the entire first night of bombing. They reported how the sky was lit up and the firing of both sides. They stated how the precision bombing America planned to do didn't seem so precise. After the first night the Iraqi government released a statement how they suffered very little damage and believed they had been victorious. The CNN team reported it differently; that the city they were in was destroyed. This movie showed both sides of the war and stated it objectively