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what the veteran television journalist Robert MacNeil (1994, p. 125) calls “a contest of images.”
Based on his recent practical experience, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger confirms this
observation by commenting that officials asking for his advice used to ask him what to do, but
now ask him what to say (Neuman, 1996, p. 270).
Five characteristics best describe global television news coverage: (1) it is broadcast around
the clock 24 hours a day; (2) it is transmitted in real-time; (3) it is broadcast from every place in
the world to every other place; (4) it is headline dominated; (5) and it is live event-oriented. One
should note however, that networks repeat recorded news programs throughout the day. Two
particular formats are more significant: the breaking news and the continuing crisis coverage
characterized by a special logo, such as War on Terrorism or the Middle East Crisis. These
formats create more pressure on all the three groups involved in policymaking: editors push
reporters to broadcast new pictures, reporters push leaders to respond fast to unfolding events,
and leaders push experts and diplomats to produce instant policy analysis and recommendations.
This article begins with a discussion of the most powerful possible effect of global television
- taking over policymaking. Authors have defined this effect, known also as the CNN effect,
several different ways. In recent years, however, this term primarily refers to compelling
television images, such as images of a humanitarian crisis, which force policymakers to adopt a
policy, such as military intervention, that might otherwise not be in the national interest of their
countries (Jakobsen, 2000, p. 132; Feist, 2001, p. 713; Seib, 2002, p 27). This study reveals an
ongoing debate among politicians, government officials, journalists, and scholars, on the validity
of the CNN effect hypothesis. The debates are conducted both internally within each group and
among them, but these exchanges haven’t yet contributed significantly to resolving the issue.
This study distinguishes between effects of global coverage on outcome, as is the case with
the CNN effect research, and effects on the policy process. It argues that the effects on
policymaking are far more complex than is usually meant by the CNN effect. It suggests that no
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