CNN Video #1: New ISIS messenger vows to 'conquer Rome'
Screenshot of CNN news broadcast.
Screenshot of CNN news broadcast.
Video available at: http://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2015/02/16/lead-dnt-starr-isis-messenger-libya-egypt-beheadings.cnn/video/playlists/top-news-videos/
Facts
Fact #1: "New 5-minute ISIS execution video with slick production [...] The video shows at least a dozen beheaded" ("New ISIS messenger," 2015).
True: The latest ISIS execution video is shot from many different camera angles and has significant editing. The video depicts more than 12 mens’ heads being sawed off on the beach of Libya. The video was available from the Shoebat Foundation, a very-Christian group, but it is the original ISIS leak (2015).
Fact #2: Egyptian President al-Sisi responding with airstrikes inside Libya against what Egypt says are ISIS training camps" ("New ISIS messenger," 2015).
True: Egypt has launched airstrikes in Libya, "against ISIL camps, training sites and weapons storage areas" according to an article published by Aljazeera ("Civilians killed," 2015). However, at least civilian casualties have been confirmed and pictures of damaged residential areas are surfacing on social media.
Fact #3: "ISIS capabilities are now spreading across the region [...] Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Afghanistan and Pakistan" ("New ISIS messenger," 2015).
Mostly True: According to an article the Boston Globe picked up from the New York Times, ISIS is extending its military reach. It has military affiliates in Libya, Egypt, Afghanistan and Algeria. However, Yemen and Pakistan have reportedly only "received interest" from the Islamic State (Schmitt & Kirkpatrick, 2015).
Fact #4: "Our coalition is on the offensive. ISIL is on the defensive and ISIL is going to lose" ("New ISIS messenger," 2015).
Sort Of True: Currently the United States has military efforts in Syria, but technically this action has not been sanctioned by Congress and the US should not be on the offensive. Also, President Obama is currently trying to pass legislation that would allow for three years in Syria before it would have to be renewed, which is so the next president can address the issue. This is not a strong support for ISIL losing (Korte, 2015).
SMELL Test:
Source - Barack Obama
The United States President ranks high in Proximity and Experience/Expertise in the ISIS topic. He is currently involved with relations between countries involved, however he has low independence because of his political position. Being the president of the United States ties him to the interests of the country and it's political welfare. In this instance, his stance in relation to ISIS is biased because of the US interests.
Source - Iraqi Tribal Leader
This unnamed person has high proximity considering his location and status as a tribe leader in the zone of ISIS control. However, it is difficult to determine the level of independence and experience/expertise which implies this is not a strong source.
Source - Leon Panetta
The former United States Secretary of Defense has high Expertise/Experience in military endeavors such as ISIS, however, his independence is low because of his political ties and his proximity is also low because he does not currently hold the position.
Motivation - In this case, CNN’s report is content designed to inform (McManus, 2012). It presents information related to the latest execution video released by ISIS, which implies the Jihadists intend to ‘conquer Rome’ because of its Christian affiliation.
Evidence - The report provides sources from several viewpoints including U.S. political leaders, CIA analysts and an Iraqi leader, which adds significant depth and credibility to the story.
Logic - "One Iraqi tribal leader telling CNN that ISIS is gaining ground in Anbar province west of Baghdad and predicting a collapse there of Iraqi army units if tribal forces withdraw, exactly what the White House doesn’t want just as it’s asking Congress for new authorities to fight the militants" ("New ISIS messenger," 2015).
This quote is evidence that the news report contains a nonsequiturs logical fallacy, because this statement does not follow from one idea to the next (McManus, 2012). It starts off with an obscure, anonymous source claiming to be a tribal leader in Iraq, but no further qualifications or details are provided. This source then predicts an extreme outcome, which CNN then declares, "exactly what the White House doesn’t want" (2015). It’s a huge leap from two ideas that really are not connected, this could also be considered a flawed comparison because there is no evidence to back up the reporter’s claims.
Left Out - This story refers to the latest ISIS video and it’s excellent videography, but it does not make any reference to the source of the video leak or much else related to it. The title of the article also doesn’t follow more than the first 20 seconds of the video, which implies that ISIS is targeting the Catholic Church. More evidence needs to be added to support this claim. It would also be interesting to have the perspective of an Egyptian after the terrorist attack, all that’s included is the President’s initiative to use airstrikes against terrorist bases in Libya.
CNN Video #2: Obama's changing tune on permission to fight ISIS
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| Screenshot of CNN news broadcast. Video available at: http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/29/politics/obama-congress-use-of-force/ |
Speech References within the News Report
"I have the authority to address the threat from ISIL, but I believe we are strongest as a nation when the President and Congress work together," he said on Sept. 10. "So I welcome congressional support for this effort in order to show the world that Americans are united in confronting this danger" (Jones, 2015). Taken from President Barack Obama's ISIS speech on September 10, 2014.
"Tonight, I call on this Congress to show the world that we are united in this mission by passing a resolution to authorize the use of force against ISIL," the President said. "We need that authority" (Jones, 2015). Taken from President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address on January 20, 2015.
Analysis: CNN is using these specific quotes from Obama to show his self-contradiction, this implies that the news source is framing the quotes to portray unsanctioned action in deploying troops against ISIL.
Facts
Fact #1: “Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, the President can send U.S. forces into a conflict -- in this case airstrikes -- but must end those hostilities after 60 days unless Congress has given specific authorization” (Jones, 2015)
True: The War Powers Resolution act does give the US President the authority to deploy American soldiers for 60 days without congressional agreement, after that, he should remove the forces unless war has been declared according to the Library of Congress website (“War Powers,” 2014).
Fact #2: “ISIS was once a part of al Qaeda and considers itself to be the true inheritor of Osama bin Laden's legacy” (Jones, 2015).
Mostly True: ISIS was initially an affiliate of al Qaeda Central, which disseminated when the affiliate group determined their goal was actually to establish an Islamic State and institute the Shariah. It wasn’t necessarily bin Laden’s legacy they hoped to continue, it was a religious endeavor according to the Foreign Policy Research Institute (Watts, 2014).
Fact #3: “The U.S. launched airstrikes in Iraq in August at the invitation of the Iraqi government, in part to protect American interests” (Jones, 2015).
True: According to President Obama in official interview from August 9, 2014, the Iraqi government agreed to the airstrikes from the US and has helped the US in fighting ISIS (2014).
Fact #4: “The White House argued the 2001 AUMF, which authorized military force against the groups who were either responsible for the September 11th attacks or who harbored the groups responsible -- i.e. al Qaeda, the Taliban and associated forces -- applies in this case” (Jones, 2015).
Mostly True: The White House administration used this justification for allowing the President to Authorize the Use of Military Force without the authorization of Congress, and it is still highly controversial, even among legislators according to articles from Just Security (Goodman, 2014).
SMELL Test
Source - CNN Reporter Athena Jones
She is a general reporter for CNN, covered the 2008 Presidenial elections for NBC and the National Journal; Islamic studies at the American Research Center in Cairo, Egypt, with Duke University (CNN, 2015). This reporter has high expertise in Politics and ISIS, as well as high proximity because she is following the story. However, her independence is limited by the merits of the Cable News Network.
Source - President Barack Obama
President Obama has High Proximity and Experience in terms of ISIL, due to his direct involvement with the conflict. However, his Independence is restricted by his political position. He has to keep the United States' interests at the forefront of his actions because he represents the country. This makes him biased in regards to ISIS.
Motivation - Content designed to persuade
Principled Persuasion - strong ideological bent; critical and constructive (McManus, 2012).
“American warplanes are hard at work over Iraq and Syria, helping Iraqi army and Syrian rebel forces battle ISIS. In Iraq, American troops are busy training the military. All of this is being done -- and will continue to be done -- without being officially sanctioned by Congress, although President Barack Obama now says he needs an Authorization for the Use of Military Force -- AUMF” (Jones, 2015).
Evidence - CNN’s facts were mostly true, and they cited legislation and political speeches as the basis of their arguments. However, Osama Bin Laden’s influence was exaggerated past a point of fact that could not be backed up without a member of ISIS stating that their goals aligned with his.
Logic - Logical Fallacy - Innuendo
Persuasion, whether principled or unprincipled, always contains innuendo (McManus, 2012). The reporting in this article implies two major ideas that can’t necessarily be confirmed with the information provided.
First, it implies that Obama has started a war in Iraq and Syria without proper authority.
“All of this is being done [...] without being officially sanctioned by Congress, although President Barack Obama now says he needs an Authorization for the Use of Military Force -- AUMF” (Jones, 2015).
Second, it suggests that the unsanctioned troops and fighting will continue for a long time without the authority needed because “administration officials” say they don’t know how long the political process will take.
“Administration officials say they are consulting with members of Congress and planning to send draft language for the authorization to Capitol Hill, but there's still no timeline for when that language will arrive at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue” (Jones, 2015).
Left Out - “Administration officials say” is an unidentifiable source; this automatically makes the story and that fact lose some credibility. The story does not offer the viewpoint of anybody in the foreign field or from an area related to the ISIS conflict.
CNN Video #3: ISIS: Everything you need to know about the rise of the militant group
Screenshot of CNN news broadcast.
Video available at: http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/14/world/isis-everything-you-need-to-know/index.html
FACTS
Fact #1: "The group seized control of Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, this summer" (Greene, Mankrious, & Thompson, 2015).
Mostly True: There are two facts here, first, Mosul is Iraq’s second-largest city - which is disputable depending on how you look at it. Based on population estimates, it is currently the 5th largest city ("Major cities," 2014). If looked at from a land area point of view, it could be the second largest, but I was unable to find a reputable source for this information. However, ISIS did seize control of Mosul in June 2014 according to the Wall Street Journal, who also attributed Mosul as the second-largest city in Iraq (Bradley & Nabhan, 2014).
Fact #2:
"Its power base is in Raqqa, eastern Syria" (Greene et al., 2015).
True: ISIS’s home base is considered to be in Raqqa, located in Eastern Syria. It is under strict rules and regulations, and the United States has conducted many drone strikes on the city ("Life inside," 2014).
Fact #3: "ISIS is now in control of more than half of Syria's oil assets -- along with a number of oil fields in Iraq" (Greene et al., 2015).
Mostly True: Confirming whether or not ISIS controls more than half of Syria’s oil assets is difficult because the oil industry has been in disarray since 2010 according to the US Energy Information Administration ("Syria," 2014). However, Business Insider said ISIS controlled "virtually all major oil fields" in Syria and some in Iraq (Mroue, 2014).
Fact #4: "Finland, Ireland and Australia have the highest number of foreign fighters per capita" (Greene et al., 2015).
False: According to Radio Free Europe, Finland, Ireland and Australia do not have the highest number of foreign fighters in ISIS territory as of January 25, 2015, this number is actually attributed to Jordan, and Belgium has the highest number of foreign fighters ("Foreign Fighters," 2015).
SMELL test:
Source - Jim Sciutto
Jim Sciutto has high proximity and Experience/Expertise in the ISIS crisis, he works as CNN’s chief national security correspondent and has interviewed Iranian government officials ("Anchors & Reporters," 2015). However, he has low independence because he works for the Cable News Network.
Motive - Content Designed to Inform (McManus, 2012).
This video provides a brief overview of "ISIS: everything you need to know about the rise of the militant group" according to the title. The content provides basics into the Jihadist group and its control in the Middle East. It's an overview of the conflict that introduces viewers into the reign of ISIS and their international influence.
Evidence - CNN provides statistics from the Pew Research Center, which is a viable source. The main source of the article, one of CNN's reporters, has high proximity and experience/expertise in the ISIS conflict. Most of the facts are backed up in the article, and those that were fact-check held a majority truth. Only one fact was proven false.
Logic - "The rise of Islamic State [...] has struck fear into the hearts of leaders around the world" (Greene et al., 2015).
This entire statement is a logical fallacy of innuendo and overgeneralization (McManus, 2012). CNN has no way of backing up the statement, unless multiple leaders around the world confessed to them that ISIS has struck fear into their hearts.
"Naturally, countries with bigger Muslim populations tend to send the largest number of fighters"(Greene et al., 2015).
The word "naturally" just lost CNN credibility, this is a huge example of an overgeneralization. You cannot assume the troops fighting with the Jihadists are Muslim "naturally." There must be evidence.
Left Out - "More than 11,000 people have traveled from abroad to fight in Syria and Iraq, officials suggest" (Greene et al., 2015).
"Officials suggest" shows that the statement is not a fact that anybody would back up with their name, thus it is more of an assumption that is up in the air. CNN loses some credibility with this statement because the source is unidentifiable.
Conclusion
Overall, CNN has provided information that can generally be traced to at least some verifiable source. The majority of the facts analyzed in this project resulted in some form of truth, whether completely, mostly or somewhat true. One issue that came up repeatedly was using anonymous sources. This makes a news organization lose credibility because there is no way to identify the source, however, in some instances it may be for that individual's protection due to the violent nature of the ISIS conflict. CNN provided news reports that were certainly biased in a sense they were against the Islamic State, but ISIS is a terrorist group. CNN can be considered a reliable news source as long as people are wary of anonymous sources, the other evidence provided was verifiable and factual most of the time.
Bibliography
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