As Goes the Statue, So Goes the War: The Emergence of the Victory Frame in Television Coverage of the Iraq War

Abstract

This study analyzes how broadcast news coverage of the toppling of a statue of Saddam Hussein on April 9, 2003, employed a "victory" frame that crowded out other potential news narratives from that day, notably the heavy fighting continuing throughout Baghdad and other parts of Iraq. A second level of analysis comparing the news agendas of the 2 networks in the week prior to and the week after April 9th suggests that the victory frame had the effect of dramatically reducing the amount of battle-related stories.