Reflections in a bloodshot lens : America, Islam and the war of ideas / Lawrence Pintak.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Pintak, Lawrence (Lawrence Edward), 1955-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Islam in mass media.

Islamic countries--In mass media.

Islamic countries.

United States--In mass media.

United States.

United States--Foreign relations--Islamic countries.

International relations.

Islamic countries--Foreign relations--United States.

Physical Description:

xviii, 374 pages ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

London ; Ann Arbor, MI : Pluto, 2006.

Summary:

In the aftermath of 9/11, there was widespread sympathy for the U.S. across the Muslim world. This book explores what went wrong.

Lawrence Pintak, a former CBS News Middle East correspondent, argues that the Arab media revolution and the rise of U.S. "patriot-journalists" exacerbated a fundamental gap in worldview, perception and communication, marginalizing moderate voices and reinforcing stereotypes. Viewers on each side thus saw events through opposing prisms; the resulting polarization made worse by the Bush administration's failure to recognize that the U.S. no longer writes the global narrative.

Built on the author's extensive journalistic experience and scholarly credentials, this book makes compelling reading for anyone trying to understand how to bridge the divide that threatens to define the new century.

Contents:

Introduction: Worldview, Identity and the Other 1

Section I Foundations of the Relationship

1 In the Eye of the Beholder 15

2 U.S. Coverage of Islam 30

3 The Arab and Muslim Media 58

Section II The Framing of an Era

4 Rhetoric, Religion and Righteousness 77

5 The Myth of Terror and the Terror of Myth 103

6 Enemies, Allies and Other Artificial Constructs 133

Section III Perceptions of Policy

7 Weaponizing the Media 153

8 Prism of Pain: Palestine 177

9 Rewriting the Script: Iraq 200

Section IV Hearts and Minds

10 Beyond the Middle East 237

11 Brand America 258

12 Symbols of Empire 282

Epilogue: Beyond Us and Them 304.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 315-361) and index.

ISBN:

0745324185

0745324193

OCLC:

62177666

Publisher Number:

9780745324197