Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists - Om tv-seriene 24 og Homeland, og Chomskys propagandamodell

Författare

Johanne Svendsen Rognlien

Summary, in English

I have chosen in my Bachelor thesis to analyze how the two American TV-series, 24 (2001-2010) and Homeland (2011-), examine and explain terrorism and other aspects of the “War on Terror.” They were both created after the attacks on September 11th, 2001 and therefore affected by the political situation in the country. With the help of Noam Chomsky and his propaganda model I wish to find out what kind of mechanisms influences film and TV, especially in a vulnerable time like this. Chomsky’s propaganda model has normally been applied to the mass media. I have, with help of other scholars, tried to transform it so it applies to the film industry as well. I have chosen to examine different motives in the two series; the way torture is shown, the terrorists and the American hero are portrayed. By examining these aspects I’ve tired to see if there are any similarities and/or differences between the series. How much has the political situation in the country to say and how much is decided by Hollywood as a profit-driven industry? And finally, can any of them be discussed as a kind of propaganda? By taking two TV-series created after the terror attacks, but during two different political climates, I have been able to find some interesting conclusions. 24 are made right after the attacks on September 11th, 2001. Because of this it could be viewed as more patriotic in its description of the American hero, the terrorists as Arabs and/or Muslims and the acceptance of torture as an effective interrogation method. Homeland was made in a less patriotic time and after a lot of criticism had been directed against the US for its behavior the last ten years. It could therefore be described as more neutral in its way of discussing terrorists in a broader sense than in 24. Homeland also presents a more complex picture of who the American heroes are, and it also put to question the use of torture and its devastating long-term affects.

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