The European Press and Saladin the Fierce

Abstract

The article examines the orientation of the European press during the recent crisis in the Persian Gulf by analysing coverage of the event, attitudes towards the contending parties and the presentation of Saddam Hussein. The study focuses specifically on the months preceding the intervention of the coalition led by the United States. The evidence indicates that, in all the dailies examined, the coverage of the crisis went through different and basically predictable stages, `surprise', `interest', `routine', `waiting' and the `flood', i.e. like those of a media event. The differences observed among the dailies were significant with respect to three issues. The first is whether the attitude towards military intervention led by the United States was favourable or unfavourable. Secondly, some dailies were more militaristic while others were more pro-Arab. Finally, contrary to expectations, not all the dailies defined as `conservative' were the most interventionist and militaristic, whereas several considered `progressive' were.

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