Don't Mention the War: Northern Ireland, Propaganda and the Media
For over twenty-five years, the media have portrayed the conflict in Northern Ireland as an irrational confrontation — a war that was not called a war and had no objective social basis. 'Terrorism' caused 'the Troubles'; the British Army kept the peace. The conflict was effectively marginalised in the minds of the public at large.\ In Don't Mention the War, David Miller chronicles the propaganda and (mis)information management which did so much to distort and impoverish media reporting of the...
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For over twenty-five years, the media have portrayed the conflict in Northern Ireland as an irrational confrontation -- a war that was not called a war and had no objective social basis. 'Terrorism' caused 'the Troubles'; the British Army kept the peace. The conflict was effectively marginalised in the minds of the public at large.In Don't Mention the War, David Miller chronicles the propaganda and (mis)information management which did so much to distort and impoverish media reporting of the conflict. Given unprecedented access to senior officials, as well as the key spokespersons for all the major political groupings in Northern Ireland, Miller paints a disturbing picture of the success of the media managers in manipulating public perceptions of the issues, and breaks new ground in exploring the complex relationships between propaganda, public opinion and power.
AcknowledgementsAbbreviationsIntroduction11Policing the Media: Secrecy, Intimidation and Censorship132The Development of Propaganda Strategies673Public Relations as a Propaganda Tactic1044From 'Terrorists' to 'Freedom Fighters': International Coverage of Northern Ireland1605Misinformation and Public Belief: The Case of Gibraltar2026Conclusion: Winning the Information Battle246Appendix A: Unattributable briefing documents issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1980-93285Appendix B: Cost of press, public relations, advertising and marketing by official bodies in Northern Ireland292Appendix C: PR staffing levels in official bodies in Northern Ireland295Appendix D: Groups taking part in the general audience study297Appendix E: Groups taking part in the Gibraltar study298Notes299Bibliography321Index354
