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ongoing “war at home.” Much like military strategy, the strategy for influencing public
opinion has evolved over time, reacting to changes in the information and political
environments and learning lessons from past “wars” and “battles.” Unlike most military
encounters, however, the battle for public opinion involves more than two sides, with the
media itself serving both as the terrain on which the struggle for hearts and minds occur
and as combatants in their own right.
In this paper I provide brief overviews of public support for major uses of U.S.
military force from World War II to the War against Iraq, focusing on the interplay
between the nature of the military interventions and the information environments in
which they occurred. I then step back from the specifics of each case to explore larger
lessons that can be learned regarding the interaction of media coverage of war and public
opinion.
World War II
World War II is often held up as a classic example of a moral or just war,
motivated by the atrocities of Germany and Japan. Yet public opinion regarding U.S.
support for the war seems to tell a very different story. In November 1936 only 5 percent
of the U.S. adult population felt the United States should take part in a war in Europe
should one develop. From the formal declaration of war against Germany by England,
France, Australia and New Zealand in 1939, through mid 1940, most surveys indicated
that less than 10 percent of the American public supported declaring war against
Germany or Japan, or becoming involved militarily in the war in any other way. Even as
the scope of Germany’s military aggression and acts against humanity became more
Convention