A comparison of how UK mainstream media and the Internet portrayed anti-war movements opposing the invasion of Iraq, 2003 & 2011.

Abstract

This thesis will compare the focus given to opposition to the Iraq War by different types of British media sources, and in what ways this opposition was portrayed. These media sources will include newspapers, television reports, and internet blogs. This will be done by examining points in time immediately preceding and succeeding the conflict, providing two case studies for comparison. The case study concerning the events prior to the war will entail the public protests against the invasion of Iraq in the weeks leading up to its start, specifically on February 15th which saw one of the largest anti-war rallies in history, the most prominent taking place within Europe. The other case study will involve events related to the conclusion of the Iraq War. This will entail looking at the same sources in terms of their coverage of the war’s aftermath, as well as acknowledgement of anti-war movements relating to Iraq or other conflicts. What is significant to this field of study is how the focus on anti-war movements shifted over time. While there may have been some support from parts of the British traditional media towards these movements they were overall ignored, possibly due to the mainstream media following the government’s line in justifying war and not showing attention to the messaging of these groups. Anti-war movements may have been ignored by these outlets even further once reporting became centred on the war itself rather than its public perception. Conversely, parts of the internet were supportive of opposition against the invasion, which continued past the February 15th rallies into the conflict itself. Within this support, these internet blogs and war reports displayed an antagonism against the mainstream media for what was perceived to be complicity with the UK government’s actions in Iraq. It was most significant to discover how these foci have changed by 2011. Some outlets may have continued to vouch for the war’s legitimacy, even after the war’s failure had long since been made clear. Others may have given a voice to anti-war movements that they were unwilling to provide eight years prior, or at least an acknowledgement of their effects on conflict perspectives. As for the internet, their support for anti-war movements wavered as the Iraq War’s conclusion neared.