Constructing the Cold War: 'The New York Times' and the Truman Doctrine

Democratic theory expects that citizens have access to reliable information, but there may be systematic biases in the dissemination of news and the public discussion of policy alternatives. Governments have access to and control over information and an enormous capacity to generate media attention. The corporate owners of mass media institutions may use their positions to shape the ideological tone and content of news coverage. This dissertation seeks new insight into the relationship between the state and the mass media from the internal records of the New York Times, and it evaluates the efforts of government officials and mass media institutions to control the interpretation of a major historical event, the US decision to intervene in the Greek civil war. The Truman Doctrine suddenly transformed a minor conflict into a global confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union. Times reporters promoted this view and concealed available evidence that contradicted it. Internal memoranda document ownership's influence at the New York Times. The publisher routinely determines the institution's editorial positions and intervenes directly in news decisions. Editors suggest the tone and substance of stories to subordinates and alter the content and significance of stories that reporters submit. The careful use of hiring practices exclude reporters with unorthodox views while rewarding reporters with more conventional biases. The publisher protected his correspondent in Athens during the Greek civil war despite the reporter's personal connections to the Greek government, and he encouraged other reporters to cultivate the closest of ties to American officials. The episode underscores the intellectual influence of government officials and media owners over issues of special importance and shared interest, and it illustrates their ability to create a favorable ideological climate for planned policy changes.