Date of Award

12-2010

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Specialization

Communication and Leadership

School or Department

School of Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Dr. Michael Hazel

Second Advisor

Dr. Kipp Preble

Abstract

Communication technology and military missions have become enmeshed so that the latest battlefield is being fought online. It is a war of words, not one of conventional weapons, and it is a strategy that has long been part of the military arsenal. Now, though, as the U.S. government stays entrenched in the Global War on Terror, the concept of so-called Psychological Operations is taking on a greater weight. America is focusing more of its efforts on the Internet in a counter-terror campaign as a way to offset the ideology that extremist groups such as al Qaeda have been spreading online. This thesis argues that if the United States wants to wage an effective war of words to persuade prospective terror recruits to choose peace instead of jihad, the agency running such websites needs to have a solid understanding of communication theory and journalistic competencies. To support this argument, this thesis offers a journalistic and theoretical comparison of how Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, two government-funded news operations, present news. It builds on this to develop a series of recommendations for websites that are tasked with following a strict agenda-setting model to still be effectively persuasive for members in the target audience.

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