Political Science

In the mid nineteenth century when the second global conflict took place, it emerged that there was a dire need to have an international media house with the ability of reporting internationally all major international events. CNN emerged as the leading player in international communications and relations and thus played a major role and created a lot of influence. However, despite the great coverage of CNN, it later became apparent that there was a dark side of CNN, and is currently under intense scrutiny by several professionals and scholars.

The positive side of CNN
The second global conflict was the first phenomena to create a true global worldwide system. It became apparent that events taking place in one part of the globe had an impact on the rest of the world. As a result, there was a dire need for the establishment of an international media house that could report on events taking place across the world at any given time. In the early 1980s, there were great innovations in the world of communication technologies, which made CNN to be produced by the Ted Tuner vision, thus making the media house to be the first international news network. CNN was therefore in a position to broadcast international news round the whole world and around the clock through a combination of cable and satellites television outlets. During the gulf conflict, CNN played a crucial role which made it to emerge as an international actor in global relations. CNN therefore inspired other media houses to go global and thus increase diversity of international news (Gilboa, 2005).
CNNs diversification and growth including CNN international creation have had a great effect on several facets of international communications and global relations, such as economics, technology, public opinion, law, culture, diplomacy and politics as well as human rights, terrorism, warfare, refugees, environmental degradation and health. During its first years bringing out these issues, little attention was forthcoming from both the professional and academic communities. However, the manner in which CNN covered the Gulf conflict which was its first major international assignment promoted greater investigations. In fact, the great work that was carried out by CNN marked a major turning point in communications history and in particular that of CNN, which resulted to an equivalent change across the networks scholarship.

The appearance of an influential new player in international and communication relations demands sufficient empirical and theoretical work in order to assess objectively its influence and place. Several scholars have carried out numerous studies on CNN within several general frameworks. Despite the varying conclusions drawn by various scholars, it is always evident that this international media house has a lot of influence on the world stage. Ever since the period of the gulf war, CNN has covered several other conflicts and most notably the new international security threat resulting from terrorism.

CNNs other side
The factor of CNN and the effects it has on international intervention in major armed conflicts has increasingly become under intense academic scrutiny. The fundamental conception is as follows emotion and concentrated based media mode of coverage of selected conflict that is packaged in a manner that is oversimplified that is, format of morality play, of the right versus the wrong, stirs up a response that is emotional from viewers located in distant nations, compelling that nations government to have some interest and probably intervene in the conflict giving its support to the side of conflict favored by CNN.

As pointed out by several scholars and professionals, the focus of CNN while covering international conflicts has greatly obscured its media effectiveness in covering these conflicts. This has originated from the CNNs failure to cover several global conflicts objectively and instead introduce a lot of subjectivity in its reporting. By permitting CNNs coverage to play a great role in altering or forming government policy regarding international conflicts, it therefore follows that without the media coverage there will be no such policy. CNN has also been perceived by several parties to be biased in its reporting. It has been accused of being pro American and European and it is in fact seen to be their tool of exerting influence on the world.

Conclusion
There is no doubt that during its first years of operation, CNN did a lot of commendable coverage especially on covering its first major international conflict, the gulf war. CNN increased awareness on such issues as economics, technology, law, culture, politics, public opinion and diplomacy around the world and thus created a lot of positive impacts. However, it later emerged that there was another side of this international media house. It was blamed of biased reporting since it is perceived to be against the Arab world and pro American and Europe.