ABSTRACT
The propaganda and pooling arrangements of the Gulf Wars have to be seen in the context of the profound transformation taking place in media technology. Central to United States (US) information and media policy during the Gulf Wars was the exorcism of the ‘Vietnam syndrome’. The roots of modern embedding are to be found in the 1991 Gulf War with the pooling system deployed by the US-led Coalition. The unilateral correspondents reported the Gulf Wars under their own devices, attempting to enter the warzone without the approval of the US military and the host government, Saudi Arabia. Selling the First Gulf War was more than the simple promotion of a clean, highly sanitised campaign. The invasion of Grenada and Panama led to a news blackout which denied war correspondents access to the action until US forces had secured their military objectives.
