The U.S. is fighting a new kind of propaganda war – one for the airwaves of the Middle East, according to The Other Air Force: U.S. Efforts to Reshape Middle Eastern Media Since 9/11 by Assistant Professor of Communication and International Studies Matt Sienkiewicz. According to the author, “The U.S. is not trying to trick people as much as it is trying to change the Middle East media system to operate more like a Western one, particularly in terms of competition and profit motives. America looks for entrepreneurs with friendly ideological commitments and supports them in producing creative, competitive media…It’s the overall media system that’s supposed to reflect American values…They hope that locals watch the TV show, associate it with the freedom to choose what you want to watch, and reflect on it as being part of a broader democratic, capitalistic shift in local society.” Read more in a Q&A with Sienkiewicz from BC News.
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