Article
Before the Summit: News Media Framing, Scripts and the Flag-raising at Iwo Jima
Media, War and Conflict
(2023)
Abstract
Drawing upon media framing theory and the concept of cognitive scripts, this article provides a new interpretation of the context in which the famous World War II photograph ‘Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima’ appeared. This interpretation is based primarily on an examination of American newspaper and newsreel coverage from the Pacific island battles prior to Iwo Jima. The coverage – especially the pictorial coverage – often followed a three-step sequence that showed US forces proceeding from a landing to a series of skirmishes, then culminating with a flag-raising image. This created a predictable cognitive script. That script, combined with other framing devices found in the news coverage (such as metaphors and catchphrases), conveyed the misleading message that the Allies’ final victory over Japan was imminent in early 1945. The Iwo Jima photo drove home that message more emphatically than anything else. This circumstance had profound implications for government policy at the time and, in retrospect, it illustrates the potency of media framing – particularly in times of crisis or war.
Keywords
- cognitive scripts,
- framing theory,
- Iwo Jima,
- news frames,
- newspapers,
- photojournalism,
- World War II
Disciplines
Publication Date
March, 2023
DOI
10.1177/1750635221990941
Citation Information
Matthew Pressman and James Kimble. "Before the Summit: News Media Framing, Scripts and the Flag-raising at Iwo Jima" Media, War and Conflict Vol. 16 Iss. 1 (2023) p. 3 - 25 ISSN: 1750-6360 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/james-kimble/32/