Abstract
Powerful and useful as it is, information controversially is a double-edged sword to a large extent. Accurate and meaningful information can give people convenience and satisfaction, while untruthful and inflammatory information can destabilize a nation’s political system, ignite social unrest, and even trigger military conflicts or war. Undeniably, as for militaries, the weaponization of information can become “a valuable supplement to conventional weaponry, making their own efforts more effective and undermining adversaries’ willingness to fight” (p. ix). Nevertheless, the malicious use of information at war can incur catastrophic consequences. As one of the world’s leading experts on media and war, Philip Seib, Professor of Journalism, Public Diplomacy, and International Relations at the University of Southern California, in his new monograph Information at War: Journalism, Disinformation, and Modern Warfare, seeks to stimulate critical thinking about the past, present, and future of information at war. Consisting of seven chapters plus an introduction, the book proceeds roughly chronologically and probes into the intertwined relationship between war and information from the Second World War to the present day and beyond.
The book briefly differentiates “disinformation” from “misinformation” and “mal-information,” and argues that “[d]isinformation has long been used by governments as a weaponized form of communication that is a tool of warfare” (p. 1). Combining vivid historical vignettes with trenchant analysis, it presents an overview of the evolution of information landscape at war. Seib exemplifies the pro-British radio reporting from CBS correspondent Edward R. Murrow and some of his colleagues in the midst of the Blitz against Nazi Germany, which together with the British exercise in propaganda helped to strengthen interventionist sentiment among Americans and inspire support for the U.K. war in 1940 and 1941. Information does help to shape public opinions. The British-U.S. case illustrates that “information at war is a tool that can be used not just against enemy targets” (p. 117).
It is also worth noting that considerable attention is given to disinformation in this book. Arguing that “[n]o conflict is detached from politics, and information helps tighten the connection” (p. 3), Seib shows us how the political manipulation of disinformation exerts its influence upon adversaries by seeding media with false information and distortions via various information venues. Several examples are cited to demonstrate Russian deployment of military and quasi-military information mechanisms with certain intent, as well as its exploiting of resources in terms of history, culture, language, nationalism, and more in order to carry out cyber-enhanced disinformation campaigns, encompassing its war against Ukraine in 2014 and its interference with the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Along with techniques of using information evolving apace in information warfare with advances in the technology of information production and dissemination, media literacy becomes essential in combating disinformation, and “constitutes a defense mechanism that is needed to counter information-based attempts at political manipulation” (p. 165). Taking Finland’s practice of media literacy as an example, Seib argues that against the backdrop of more and more pervasive Russian disinformation campaigns directed at Finland in recent years, every Finn is asked to join in the fight against false information, receiving the education in how to spot, challenge, and prevent the spread of malign information that targets them, which seems to be the effective approach for Finland to defend their political system against conspiracy theories and destabilization.
Well-written and wide-ranging, this book on the whole has several merits. First, it cites a multitude of substantial examples relating to journalistic and military issues from many places, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, Ukraine, Finland, the Baltic States, Middle Eastern countries, and the like, to illustrate the complex interplay between war and information, which not only enriches the content, but also makes it more comprehensive and persuasive. Second, in the last 100 years, technology—from print and telegraph, to radio, to television, to internet—has transformed the information that people rely on “with speed of delivery and vividness of content changing from one step to the next” (p. 185). Within a logical and well-organized structure, the book chronologically offers simple and clear narratives of how information at war via different media venues (e.g., radio, television, and social media) influences historical events, including the Second World War, the Vietnam War, the Falklands War, the Gulf War, the 2011 Arab uprisings, the Syrian War, and the Ukrainian Crisis. Third, it adopts a cross-disciplinary approach to the study of information at war, covering disciplines such as geopolitics, journalism and media studies, military, and international relations, which demonstrates an insightful and rigorous analysis of the relationship between journalism, disinformation, and modern warfare. Our only regret is the following: The book would be more convincing and comprehensive if more examples of non-American journalistic and military issues could be cited and analyzed.
All in all, Information at War is a useful and thought-provoking book. It elaborates how war and information are inseparable, and showcases how media literacy can help citizens to defend against information warfare. It will be of use and value to those who are interested in information and war.
