Can Media Influence Foreign Policy?

On December 15th CEID organized the 6th Euro-Atlantic Café with the support of the US Embassy and the Pallas Athéné Geopolitical Foundation (PAGEO). The panelists were Ms. Nicole Tung, awatd-winning photographer and free-lance war correspondent, and Mr. Bálint Szlankó, free-lance war reporter.

For most people it is beyond reason, why someone would want to become a war reporter. Nicole Tung, award-winning photographer and free-lance war correspondent, admitted that she had serious difficulties when trying to explain her family her motivations to go to the most dangerous frontlines of armed conflicts and to risk her life for a couple of pictures. For Tung, the attractiveness of this job lies in the mixture of a sense of responsibility, a constant eagerness to understand international conflicts, and a somewhat selfish thirst for adventure. After the controversial wars in Iraq and Afghanistan waged by her country, the U.S., she felt naturally drawn to understand better the driving forces behind these conflicts.

Bálint Szlankó, free-lance war correspondent, added that the main intellectual challenge for him was to understand the consequences of the use of force. As someone who has always been interested in military strategy, he believes that taking into account the reaction of the local population is an essential precondition of a legitimate war. And since war – in his view – is intrinsically unpredictable, focusing on the consequences makes one become more cautious in his approach towards military action. He recalled being pro-interventionalist at the time of the 2003 Iraqi war, but after having witnessed the impact of this ill-fated military operation he had to realize how big a strategic mistake it actually had been.

While some might argue that the politics behind armed conflicts could be understood by studying U.S. foreign policy and decision-making processes, both panelists agreed that one cannot have an idea of the true ‘nature of war’ unless one experiences it personally.

Reporting about war is not easy. The unimaginable psychological strain that comes with being constantly in danger, while watching people die around you, requires not only true devotion but also outstanding mental and emotional stability. According to Tung, being able to live with it cannot lead to an indifference towards personal tragedies that surround her. ‘If I got used to it, I would know that it is time to quit’. She also revealed that James Foley was a close friend of hers and it was extremely hard for her to get back to work after Foley’s murder. Szlankó, who was once kidnapped himself, underlined the hardship he faced when trying to get rid of the tension after such a life-threatening situation. Despite this traumatic experience, he firmly started that he was too interested to even think about stopping.

Today, print journalism is going through a tough time with an overload of supply and a shortage of demand, whereas television is still thriving. Tung pointed out that stories involving people (so-called human interest stories) are easier to sell, citing the refugee crisis as an example that put Syria back on the map in Europe. Bálint Szlankó found it more engaging when having to cover the life of the Hungarian army in Afghanistan, or the huge influx of refugees and its implications for Hungary. Feeling empathy is essential, and it’s much easier when you can actually connect with the topic. That is why, as both speakers conceded, even when covering war stories you are not personally attached to, you still have to make it as personal as possible in order to capture people’s attention. According to Szlankó, objectivity – at least when it is seen as distancing us from the human factor – is not expected from a good journalist. What is crucial – besides factual correctness – is to give both sides the opportunity to share their views. Tung concluded that it was hard to cover both sides equally without any bias, and she reminded us that in Syria, we still knew only one side of the story. The chance for distortion and misunderstanding is further increased by the extra layers of interpretation represented by translators and fixers.

Both journalists agreed that the question is not whether media can influence foreign policy – because it obviously can – but rather to which extent. In Szlankó’s assessment it greatly depends on whether the government is leaning towards a long-term decision-making in which case the potential influence of journalism is lower. Still, those daring to go to war zones in order to gather authentic information are the eyes and ears of the world, including powerful politicians.