War Stories

Matthew A. Baum is the Marvin Kalb Professor of Global Communications and professor of public policy and government at Harvard University. Tim J. Groeling is associate professor of communication studies at the University of California, Los Angeles.

• List of Figures ix List of Tables xiii Preface xv Acknowledgments xvii Chapter One: News, Opinion, and Foreign Policy 1 Chapter Two: Politics across the Water's Edge 17 Chapter Three: Elite Rhetoric, Media Coverage, and Rallying'Round the Flag 46 Chapter Four: War Meets the Press: Strategic Media Bias and Elite Foreign Policy Evaluations 89 Chapter Five: Shot by the Messenger: An Experimental Examination of the Effects of Party Cues on Public Opinion Regarding National Security and War 114 Chapter Six: Tidings of Battle: Polarizing Media and Public Support for the Iraq War 149 Chapter Seven: "Reality Asserted Itself": The Elasticity of Reality and the War in Iraq 186 Chapter Eight: Barbarians inside the Gates: Partisan New Media and the Polarization of American Political Discourse 230 Chapter Nine: Back to the Future: Foreign Policy in the Second Era of the Partisan Press 284 References 297 Index 315

"In this landmark study, Baum and Groeling reveal how foreign policy messages are conveyed and undermined."--Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs "War Stories ... makes an invaluable contribution to several literatures--politician-journalist interactions, news production, public reactions to news, foreign policymaking, and the new media. That War Stories has so much to say about so many important topics is a remarkable achievement. I learned much from this thoughtful study. It changed my thinking about a number of topics, and I recommend it to those interested in news production, communications research, public opinion, and policymaking."--Jeffrey E. Cohen, Public Opinion Quarterly "If you're studying American foreign policy, or American media, this is an essential book that will only provide detailed arguments and information backed up by a wealth of evidence. I have no doubt that researchers will also find inspiration for further studies from some of these sections."--Stefan Fergus, Civilian Reader "[S]cientific, meticulous, and nuanced."--David L. Paletz, Perspectives on Politics