Monster I Have Become. An Analysis of Media Representations of Torture Allegations Against U.S. Soldiers in Iraq from April 2004 to October 2005

Abstract

Purpose -- Two questions: Did the men and women of the United States military torture detainees? In what ways did the New York Times portray the torture scandals in Iraq from April 2004 to October 2005? Design/methodology/approach -- The first question is answered through the combination legal definition and general research of what the sentences were for the soldiers who were involved in the Abu Ghraib torture scandal. The second question is answered by conducting a content analysis of articles from The New York Times between April 1, 2004 and October 31, 2005. Findings -- No, the men and women of the United States military did not torture detainees as the applicable law defines torture. This was found because of the eleven soldiers convicted in the Abu Ghraib scandal, none of them received the charge and conviction of torture. The answer to the second question is that out of 19 randomly sampled articles, only 3 articles did not contain graphically explicit content. Research limitations/implications -- The main limitation of this study is that of the 57 articles found between April 1, 2004 and October 31, 2005, only 19 were read and analyzed for content. Due to time limitations I chose to sample 33% of the 57 articles in hopes that that would be sufficient for a thesis project. For a further explanation of why I chose 33% see Chapter 3 Methodology and Analysis. Practical implications -- This thesis challenges the media to be more responsible in their recordings of the truth. It is the media's responsibility to report what is going on and they are entrusted to only report the truth. Originality/value -- Very few articles have dared to challenge the media's almost unimpeded freedom of speech in the context of wartime coverage.