14. Managing the Media During the War in Mali: Between Restriction and Pragmatism

Winning the communication battle is an important part of winning the war. Numerous external communications targets must be defined, including media, public opinion (domestic and foreign), political and military partners, and enemy combatants. This paper examines the French Ministry of Defense’s (MoD) communication strategy during the first weeks of Operation Serval, part of the UN-initiated African-led International Support to Mali in 2012–2013. Based on readings (press, official communications), a content analysis, and semi-structured interviews with MoD public affairs personnel (military and civilian), this paper looks at the traditional information-sharing communication challenges of armed forces during operations, including the balance between the need for secrecy, especially during frontline combat, and the (French) people’s right to be informed. The main thesis of this paper is that the armed forces are a pragmatic institution, which has a wide range of tools to manage the media, in spite of the media’s inevitable criticism.