War, Media, and Public Opinion: A Battle for Hearts and Minds

This chapter examines different hypotheses of public support for war. Mueller's (1971, 1973, 1994) log of cumulative casualties, Gartner and Segura's (1998) work examining marginal casualties, and Feaver and Gelpi's (2004) work discussing the media's role in framing casualties are examined. The Iraq War is used as a case study to show how the relationship between the political elite, the press, and the military impacts perceptions. Public support for war is influenced by casualties, political rhetoric, and the military's ability to make it look like they are winning the fight. Scholars debate about the strengths and weaknesses of the models, but in the end, the government has to win the public opinion battle at home and abroad.