Includes bibliographical references (p. [120]-127) and index.

Introduction -- The utility of Goffman -- Researching the British military -- Outline of the chapters -- What is media operations -- The aims of media operations -- Media operations as influencing activity -- Media operations as public relations -- Media operations as responsive -- Media operations: an interactionist perspective -- Impression management and the institutional self -- Shaping the environment: the military contribution -- Audiences: imagining and influencing -- Audience groups -- Generating audience responses -- Defining war: control moves -- Linguistic, visual and narrative control moves -- Strategies and techniques -- Defining war: strategic interaction -- Tacit definitions -- Competing definitions -- Performing war: bounded impression management -- The information system -- Bounded impression management -- Performing war: distanciated impression management -- Intended observed actions -- Unavoidably observable actions -- Heightened visibility: the military contribution -- The uncovering perception of the media -- Impression management and mediatized war: -- Negotiating the "front" line -- Mediatized war -- Media logic, military logic -- Strategic interaction -- The active imagined audience -- Impression management and mediatized wars.