Commentary and links relating to media coverage of war; both before, during, and after. William A. Dorman is Professor of Government at California State University, Sacramento, and has taught a course in War, Peace and the Mass Media since 1970. Web Page U.S. Foreign Policy Blog E-Mail: dormanw at csus.edu   Archives << current

War, Peace, and the Mass Media   Wednesday, December 10, 2003   The privatisation of war · $30bn goes to private military · Fears over 'hired guns' policy Ian Traynor Wednesday December 10, 2003 The Guardian [Blog editor's note: Perhaps it is time to rename it the "Coalition of the Billing." It will be particularly interesting to see the coverage mainstream American news media give this development, or whether journalists are content to continue referring to "coalition forces" without context.] Private corporations have penetrated western warfare so deeply that they are now the second biggest contributor to coalition forces in Iraq after the Pentagon, a Guardian investigation has established. While the official coalition figures list the British as the second largest contingent with around 9,900 troops, they are narrowly outnumbered by the 10,000 private military contractors now on the ground. To read the rest of this analysis, see The Guardian 10:24 AM