Only bad guys (with or without weapons) use
propaganda techniques in their media, so it's useful to think about some recent events that represent some views still held in areas of US media such as the role of women in combat and the downward spiral of morality due to the internet. Fortunately those with whom we currently engage in military action also use those same techniques and can provide us with some useful media-savy examples of how democracy can both respect pluralistic views and also condemn them in the public sphere.
Take Eric Bolling, a blatherer of the first order from Fox News. The United Arab Emirates joined the United States and other allies in a bombing campaign against ISIS in Syria, a result of Obama’s policy of persuading friendly nations to become part of a coalition against the jihadist psychopaths. The leader of that mission, flying an F-16 Desert Falcon, was Major Mariam al-Mansouri, the first female fighter pilot for the UAE.
So what should a commentator comment on there? Perhaps the bravery of the bombing mission; perhaps the sign of how much the UAE has changed, given that a woman was leading the way; perhaps the evolution of the strategy? Nope. Because this is Barack Obama’s war, and no amount of slime is off limits among the Bollings of the world. When the accomplishment of al-Mansouri was mentioned, Bolling chimed in, “Would that be considered boobs on the ground or no?”
Apparently, Fox News has common cause with ISIS and is apparently doing a better job recruiting for ISIS than it is for the US military.
The Al Ittihad newspaper website based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates was purportedly hacked today (02/13/2015) by a group claiming affiliation with the Islamic State (ISIS).
The website went down shortly after the hack and was briefly redirecting to a page that showed three militants dressed in soldiers' attire holding rifles. The website was branded with two logos regularly used by ISIS, including the Black Standard flag. A watermark on the photo read, "The Islamic State of Iraq and Sham." Notably, the image did not include the mark of al-Farqan Media, a propaganda branch of the terrorist organization that often distributes photographs and videos online.
A photograph of Major Mariam al Mansouri, the first female pilot in the United Arab Emirates, appeared on the website. She has participated in air strikes against the Islamic State and led missions along with the United States military against the group. She flies an F-16 Desert Falcon. As a woman in the military leading strikes against the terrorist group, supporters of the Islamic State have named her an enemy.