War / Peace

One sign of how different this "war on terrorism" is from previous U.S. wars is evident in the campus antiwar movement's use of the Internet. While they have so far received very little media coverage, already tens of thousands of young people in the U.S. are participating in vigils, rallies, fundraisers, teach-ins and other events that mourn the victims of terrorism while calling for military restraint and an examination of the role of the U.S. government itself in terrorism in the Middle East, Central America and elsewhere.

The Wall Street Journal reports, "The U.S. government is expected to launch a new advertising campaign this weekend designed to boost morale and combat negative perceptions about the country. The ads, from the White House and Interpublic Group's McCann-Erickson, will feature First Lady Laura Bush in spots on talking to children about the terrorist attack. A second campaign promoting the United States, but lacking a government sponsor, is to make its debut Friday.

Coverage of the September 11th terrorist attack and the pending military response contains clamors for blind and immediate revenge.

The New York Times today reports that "in interviews with two dozen New Yorkers, most people said the desire for peace outweighed any impulse for vengeance, even among those directly affected" by the September 11 terrorist attack. Across the U.S. tens of thousands of Americans are already participating in peace rallies calling for military restraint and criticizing the U.S. media for poor reporting of U.S. military and foreign policies leading up to the terrorist attack. How will the news media cover and depict this unfolding peace movement and its views?