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The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics
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Exploring the Transatlantic Media Divide over Iraq

How and Why U.S. and German Media Differed in Reporting on UN Weapons Inspections in Iraq, 2002-2003

Ingrid A. Lehmann

Department of Communication Science of the University of Salzburg, Austria, Ingleh{at}aol.com

There were significant differences in media reporting in the United States and Germany in the seven months prior to the war in Iraq. This article focuses on the coverage of United Nations weapons inspections in two print and two television media from the two countries. The main finding of this article is that, while media reporting in Germany and in the United States differed qualitatively, policy certainty and effective government framing of their respective but divergent policies on Iraq were critical factors. Both the Bush and the Schroeder governments were able to build on a predominant national consensus. The absence of critical reporting in both countries allowed the respective governments to dominate the foreign policy agenda. This led, in the United States, to support for the war and in Germany, to abstention from it. The American media in particular neglected their watchdog function.

Key Words: weapons inspections • United Nations • watchdog • policy certainty

The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics, Vol. 10, No. 1, 63-89 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/1081180X05275910
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