Carol Winkler

Representative form and the visual ideograph: The Iwo Jima image in editorial cartoons

Much has been written about the iconic power of Joe Rosenthals 1945 photograph of the flag‐raising at Iwo Jima. This scholarship, however, insufficiently accounts for the rhetorical function of this image as it is appropriated in an unusual number of recent editorial cartoons. Building upon rhetorical theory addressing repetitive form and visual metaphor, we propose a concept of representative form. Exemplifying representative form, the parodied Iwo Jima image operates as an instance of depictive rhetoric that functions ideographically.

The medium is terrorism: Transformation of the about to die trope in Dabiq

Abstract Daesh’s ability to successfully recruit foreign fighters from more than one hundred countries worldwide raises the importance of understanding the group’s strategic media campaign. Recognizing that visual images, in particular, often increase viewers’ attention, recall, and emotional response, this study of Daesh’s official magazine, Dabiq, moves beyond earlier studies primarily focused on the magazine’s textual content to analyze the group’s visual communication strategy. This study’s content analysis of the 1,144 images appearing in the magazine’s first twelve issues reveals how Dabiq has relied extensively on a historic American media trope, the about to die image, to bolster image recirculation over time. This essay examines both the form and content of Dabiq’s use of three about to die image types as they have evolved across the twelve issues. Rather than seek to win the “hearts and minds” of the Muslim public, Dabiq’s use of about to die images transforms the online medium into terrorism in ways that have lasting implications for the global culture.

The National Counterterrorism Center's Definitional Shift for Counting Terrorism: Use of Loci Communes and Embedded Value Hierarchies

After the 2004 Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act granted the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) responsibility for producing the nations annual report on terrorism, the NCTC shifted the definitional methodology for counting acts of global terrorism utilized previously by the State Department and CIA. This essay will summarize key definitional changes, show how the NCTC employed loci communes to justify its new methodology, and reveal the underlying value hierarchies of the agency during the Bush presidency. In the process it will demonstrate how an advocates simultaneous use of antithetical loci pairings function as critical sites for discerning changing value hierarchies.

Images of death and dying in ISIS media: A comparison of English and Arabic print publications:

Images of death and dying in the media around the globe have a symbiotic relationship with nation states as they can bolster state control by defining who has the right to take lives in the interests of the community, by identifying enemies of the state, by demonstrating dominance over enemies, and by lending a moral posture to the state’s war efforts. Previously, the growing corpus of research on media’s display of death and about to die images has focused almost exclusively on media outlets that bolster established states on the global stage. By analyzing 1965 death and about to die images displayed in Dabiq, ISIS’s English-language magazine, and al-Naba’, the same group’s Arabic-language newspaper, this study adds an understanding of the messaging strategies deployed by groups striving to challenge, rather than reinforce, existing national boundaries. The findings suggest that while ISIS adopts some standard media practices, it also utilizes unique and audience targeted approaches regarding the frequency of image use, the identify of the corpses, the display of dead bodies, and the presentation of those responsible for the pictured dead bodies in its media campaign.

Multimodal visual/sound redundancy in ISIS videos: a close analysis of martyrdom and training segments

ABSTRACT The influence of ISIS online media campaign prompts the need to rethink twenty-first century warfare, particularly in relation to the media battlefield. To build a better understanding of the strategic themes deployed in the group’s messaging, this essay moves away from the bulk of previous literature on ISIS that analyzes a single mode of communication (text, visual, or audio). Instead, it offers a multimodal analysis of 70 videos released by the provincial operations of ISIS from 2015 to 2017. Specifically, the study focuses on redundant sonic and visual approaches to reveal the group’s strategic themes and preferred messaging toolkit for reaching target audiences. The focus on visual and sonic elements stems from previous research documenting that the two modes are particularly salient for attracting attention and reducing resistance of viewers. Specifically, this study focuses on two content themes recurrent in ISIS videos: militia training and martyrdom operations. The findings demonstrate that ISIS uses sonic and visual strategies in its training segments as a primary vehicle for identifying with viewers. In the martyrdom segments, the group uses the two modes to equate members of its group willing to make the ultimate sacrifice with the generic war rhetoric of the U.S. commander-in-chief.

Examining the military–media nexus in ISIS’s provincial photography campaign

Abstract Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) views military action and media operations as two equally important, reinforcing components of its campaign. With provinces disseminating 95% of ISIS’s media output, provincial media play a central role in achieving appearance shifts in the contested balance of power. Yet, scholars have not fully examined the interactions between the media and military components of ISIS’s campaign at the provincial level. To understand how enhanced coalition military operations impact the quantity and content of provincial media output, this study examines all 1643 photographs that Ninawa province disseminated before and during intense battles in the east Mosul operation. Unlike the common views in earlier studies, our study reveals that Ninawa’s use of still imagery, in particular, tripled following the launch of the Mosul operation, and the depiction of the state-building campaign remained intact. ISIS also used about-to-die images as its image weaponry of choice during intensified military pressure. Here, we use the case of Ninawa province to explore how ISIS can create nuanced photographic campaigns to help offset losses on the contested media battlefield and facilitate future repackaging of content. Finally, we highlight the importance of operationalization for a better understanding of the military–media nexus in future studies.

Crises of confidence: Rhetorical constraints for incumbent party successors

Abstract Crises of confidence have plagued the American presidency since the introduction of television into the political sphere. Recognizing from previous research that unpopular incumbents use rhetoric in an effort to regain their credibility, this study looks at these rhetorical choices to see how they constrain or provide opportunities for the incumbent partys successors. Specifically, the study looks at the rhetoric surrounding instances where presidents have dropped 20 points in Gallup approval ratings within the last two years of their terms. The study reveals that an unpopular incumbents interest in regaining the publics faith is frequently at odds with his successors interests. Incumbents need to remove themselves as the cause of the crisis, convince the public that they have the solution to the problem, and bide enough time to affect the situation. These choices tend to constrain the simplicity, flexibility, and timeliness of the successors choices for rhetorically resolving the crises.

Presidents held hostage: the rhetoric of Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan

Abstract Hostage crises have had negative effects on the last two presidents, crippling reelection bids and executive effectiveness. The public never forgave Jimmy Carter, but allowed Ronald Reagan to leave office the most popular president since Franklin Roosevelt. This analysis argues that presidential rhetoric is a key variable which explains the publics discrepant response. Recognizing the constraining effect of presidential rhetoric on future words and actions, this study posits that Carters early rhetorical choices placed him in an untenable posture with the public, while Reagans early choices allowed him sufficient flexibility to retain a successful image. The study concludes that Carters rhetoric heightened the sense of crisis, associated him with repeated failures, intimated that he had no other solutions, and precluded traditional arguments for allaying public concern. Reagans rhetoric discouraged public scrutiny, preserved argumentative options for diffusing public frustration, and maintai...