© Getty Images North America / Ramin Talaie
The way the mainstream media tells it, the United States never, ever ends up embroiled in wars and military conflicts on purpose - only ever by mistake, or as a result of things like 'bad planning' or 'strategic missteps'.
Very often when media coverage of war is analysed, there is a focus on how hawkish pundits cheerlead for conflict and journalists
parrot official narratives while dissenting voices are drowned out.
Mainstream networks, for example, have been heavily criticized by media watchdogs for almost exclusively inviting pro-war guests and ex-military hawks onto their news shows to convince Americans that war is the only reasonable course of action, while refusing to let anti-war commentators get a look in.But there is another more subtle and unnoticeable way that the media deceives us. Even when they are not outright cheerleading for military action (as was the case in the lead up to the Iraq War),
the language they use to describe events is designed to absolve Washington of blame.
Next time you read the news,
notice how the US is always "stumbling into" war, or "drifting into" war or "sliding into" war - or even "sleepwalking into" war. To
"stumble into" war seems to be a firm favorite among headline writers. The US has
"stumbled" into war in Iraq and Syria and has been, at one time or another, at risk of
"stumbling" into war with Russia, North Korea and most recently Iran.
Comment: See also:
Iraqi president hits back at arrogant Trump, says he never asked permission to stay in Iraq to 'watch Iran'