ABSTRACT
Bernard Shaw of CNN looked out his window at the Al Rashid Hotel in Iraq. It was the first night of the Persian Gulf War, and the allied bombing attack on Baghdad resembled firecrackers on the Fourth of July. " In his office at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Dick Cheney was delighted that Americans could see and hear the war firsthand. Commentators gushed at this breakthrough marvel of technology, calling it "cable's finest hour." The television networks broadcast Pentagon footage of successful bombing runs and Patriot intercepts of Scud missiles, making war look to a new generation of viewers like a Nintendo game. CNN broadcast live briefings of American and allied military officials. Beyond the speed of real-time information, television clung to Doctrine of the Picture, a belief that the medium was message. Rooftop journalism suggested that the backdrop of a story was more important than the particulars.
