International Conference
Thursday 9 – Saturday 11 September 2010
Centre for Media & Culture Research, London South Bank University
Following the 11 September 2001 attacks, the US government announced that it was engaged in ‘a new kind of war’. At least part of what was thought to be new was the war’s ideological importance: it would be a global battle for hearts and minds comparable to the Cold War.
In an effort to ‘re-brand’ US foreign policy, Washington consulted with the advertising and PR industries and within days of 9/11 – itself often described as being ‘like a movie’ – also consulted Hollywood. At the time, it was widely expected that the film and television industries would help out with the ‘war on terror’ declared by the Bush administration after 9/11.
Nearly ten years on, this conference examined whether those initial expectations had been borne out.
