Coverage of Italo-Ethiopian war, 1936-1941 by five western newspapers

Includes bibliographical references (pages 100-101)Although it was only one of many episodes in the crises leading to the Second World War, the Italo-Ethiopian War of 1936-1941 has left a mark on world history. The purpose of this study is to analyze the coverage of selected newspapers in relation to this war from its beginning in 1934 to its end in 1941.\ud The publications selected for study include: the New York Times, the Chicago Daily Tribune, the Christian Science Monitor, the Los Angeles Times, and the London Times. The newspapers were chosen as being representative of the region known as the ???Western world???, and also on the reputation of the newspapers and their perceived influence on the ???West???.\ud The analysis of the press coverage is divided into four different periods in the war. The first section covers the smaller but critical incidents of 1934. The second section looks at follow-up coverage of the incidents of 1935, which built the bridge leading to the war of 1936. The third section presents an analysis of the ???real war??? of 1936, which caused Ethiopia???s defeat. The final section captures the highlights of the Ethiopian comeback and victory of 1941.\ud The study found many factors. Among these are: (1) an increase in the space allotment that the newspapers provided as the war continued; (2) the pattern of continuity that the newspapers followed in presenting the story; (3) generally favorable placement of stories; (4) use of illustrations such as maps, drawings and photos; (5) the use of lengthy stories to narrate the different events; and, (6) the positive impact on Haile Selassie's world image.\ud There were also some weak points discovered in the coverage. Most of the newspapers did not provide sufficient background to their articles to make the news understandable to their readers. The use of language, particularly in one newspaper in the study, was not justifiable in terms of fairness. And, most of all, objectivity and balance in the reporting was considerably handicapped by government censorship and restrictions, language problems, transportation shortages, and inadequate communication systems. The study indicates, with all factors considered, that these papers did a reasonably fair job in bringing the news surrounding this war to the ???Western world???