When war becomes a media event. A linguistic and historical analysis of American media coverage during the wars in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan

Abstract

The text aims to explore American media coverage during the wars in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. After a first introduction to the role of language in the American media, it focus on the manipulation and propaganda issue during conflicts. The intent is to show how those wars were presented to the public opinion, which words were chosen to transmit a message, what were the sorces, briefly how they were reported and became media events. Particular attention is finally given to the historical and linguistic analysis of articles coming from American newspapers or TV broadcasts.