TY - JOUR

T1 - Political-intelligence elites, Strategic Political Communication and the press:

T2 - the need for, and utility of, a benchmark of public accountability demands

AU - Bakir, Vian

PY - 2016/9/16

Y1 - 2016/9/16

N2 - This article explores whether the contemporary press adequately holds political-intelligence elites accountable when facing Strategic Political Communication (SPC) during those long periods when whistle-blowers are absent (‘journalism-as-usual’). It develops an original benchmark of public accountability demands of political-intelligence elites that the press should be capable of making, thereby providing concrete discursive strategies to facilitate this difficult task. Demonstrating its utility, this benchmark is used to evaluate press oversight during journalism-as-usual and facing Obama administration political-intelligence elite SPC on the Central Intelligence Agency’s Detention and Interrogation Program. This shows that manipulation of the contemporary press occurs through subtle, but effective, SPC techniques involving a certain style of information provision that influences national, international, mainstream and alternative press outlets’ accountability demands.

AB - This article explores whether the contemporary press adequately holds political-intelligence elites accountable when facing Strategic Political Communication (SPC) during those long periods when whistle-blowers are absent (‘journalism-as-usual’). It develops an original benchmark of public accountability demands of political-intelligence elites that the press should be capable of making, thereby providing concrete discursive strategies to facilitate this difficult task. Demonstrating its utility, this benchmark is used to evaluate press oversight during journalism-as-usual and facing Obama administration political-intelligence elite SPC on the Central Intelligence Agency’s Detention and Interrogation Program. This shows that manipulation of the contemporary press occurs through subtle, but effective, SPC techniques involving a certain style of information provision that influences national, international, mainstream and alternative press outlets’ accountability demands.

KW - accountability

KW - press

KW - political-intelligence elite

KW - strategic political communication

KW - torture, detention and interrogation program

U2 - 10.1080/02684527.2016.1231866

DO - 10.1080/02684527.2016.1231866

M3 - Article

SP - 1

EP - 22

JO - Intelligence and National Security

JF - Intelligence and National Security

SN - 1743-9019

ER -