Bagdad-Bob, menige Jessica Lynch och Cirkus Saddam

Professor Gert Z Nordstrom has held
professorships in Art Education (Stockholm
University College of Arts, Crafts
and Design), Communication Science
(Jönköping University) and Information
Design (Mälardalen University).
The following is an excerpt from the
author’s conclusion in the report:
Obviously false
propaganda
Obviously false propaganda is not usually
revealed until after a war is over
and belongs to the past. The Iraq war,
however, contained a number of statements
that could be penetrated while
the war was taking place. For example,
the Iraqi seaport Umm-Qasr was
reported captured on nine different
occasions and Saddam Hussein was
reported dead on at least as many occasions.
As Umm-Qasr was only captured
once, eight of these statements must
have been false and in the case of Saddam,
all statements may well prove
false at the time of writing.
Obvious lies were spread repeatedly
by the Iraqi Information Minister,
Mohammed Said Kadhum al-Sahaf, or
“Baghdad Bob” as he was known in the
Western media. When the whole world
could see American tanks roll into the
centre of Baghdad on a live television
broadcast, he stood just a few kilometres
away from the event denying its
existence. After two weeks, no one took
him seriously. The exuberance of these
drastic actions turned him into a media
personality and international celebrity.
At best, we could describe Baghdad
Bob’s tragicomical untruths as white
lies. However, the Bush administration’s
claims that Iraq possessed weapons
of mass destruction cannot be termed
white lies, as they constituted the prime
reason for attacking the country before
the UN’s weapon inspectors had time
to finish their job. If proof of forbidden
weapons in Iraq can still not be
found, this could prove extremely problematic
for the USA and its allies.
A new aspect in the war reporting on
Iraq is both Aftonbladet and Expressen’s
summary of what has been said in the
Arabic-language media every day. In
Aftonbladet, Nael Touqan edited the
information; in Expressen, Kassem
Hamadé. Even though the information
has been brief, it has constituted a refreshing
counterbalance to the British/American
dominance. Openness and polar
perceptions do not necessarily mean
objectivity, however. Propaganda and
anti-propaganda can also signify that all
parties are lying and no one is telling the
truth. Nonetheless, freedom of speech
demands that all opinions are heard.
Expressen has launched an intermittent
warning headed: “Read, listen and
watch – critically” and a text that
describes how its employees report
without previewing, and endeavour to
report as objectively and honestly as
possible. But how we should also be
aware that all parties in the conflict
are trying to influence the media. The
reader is urged to read all information
conclusions | 105