Book review: A.K. Singh, Military and Media
| Author | Rajneesh Kumar |
| Published date | 01 June 2018 |
| Date | 01 June 2018 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0019556117750908 |
| Subject Matter | Book Reviews |
Book Reviews 325
interpreting the role of public sector employees, those interested in public and
non-profit human resources would benefit from incorporating outside materi-
als. Additionally, while highly readable and well researched, the text may have
benefited from including more illustrations, such as charts and figures that detailed
important dates, facts and data. Nevertheless, this would serve as an excellent
resource for faculty, public researchers and students for courses in public admin-
istration and human resources management.
Ariel Arguelles
PhD Candidate
The University of Texas at Dallas
Texas, USA
Ariel.Arguelles@utdallas.edu
A.K. Singh, Military and Media. New Delhi: Lancer Publication, 2006,
261 pp., `764.
DOI:10.1177/0019556117750908
Military and Media by Dr A.K. Singh covers the nuances of the relationship as it
exists between the media and military. The book with its four chapters covers a
wide spectrum of this most debated issue.
The first chapter presents an overview and discusses the complete spectrum
of the military–media relationship. It starts with the premise that the wartime
relations between the two are generally cordial but these enter a conflicting zone
as soon as the interests of the two clash with each other. This chapter also talks
about the evolution of the media and military relationship since the invention of
the writing system and speaks about the origin of the concept of war correspond-
ents which found birth in the writings of Charles Dickens, but is relevant even
today. In fact, the impact of war journalism was felt the most during the Gulf
War. In the Indian context, the role of media was exalted during the Kargil war of
1999. The first chapter discusses as to how the technological advances of the 21st
century facilitated the high-definition live telecasts of modern military operations
throughout the globe on 24×7 basis. The chapter eloquently discusses the modern
trends in global communication which exhibited its potential through real-time
reporting of the Gulf War by BBC and CNN.
The second chapter of the book brings out the fact that the militaries of today
are conducting the operations ‘other than war’. The book states that the militaries
of today are generally used by the governments for ‘peace enforcement support
operations’ across the globe. Apart from this, the media are also used by the modern
governments as a weapon for waging ‘psychological war’ or ‘psychological
operations’ against its proclaimed adversaries. The chapter discusses the role of
the media in psychological warfare in the form of communications influencing
the human behaviour and attitudes apart from the sentiments that support the
attainment of the national objectives. The chapter also speaks about the use of
propaganda as a weapon for exercising psychological pressures on the enemy.
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