Journalism In The Vietnam War

As more and more troops were being sent to Vietnam, and the casualties began to rise, people began to question the government’s involvement. “Even military troops came to mistrust their government’s reasons for keeping them there, as well as Washington’s claims that the war was being won”.(Vietnam War) The Vietnam war was the first war to be broadcast on television. This meant that for the first time the American people were able to see the war instead of just hearing about it on the radio. They were able to see firsthand the soldier’s faces, see the reality of where they were fighting and to see the

Vietnam was an entirely new type of war for the United States. It still remains morally and historically problematic in today’s society. The Vietnam War had a tremendous impact on American society and culture, primarily because it was the first war to be televised. The American press played a significant

The interpretation of a historic event and how the media portrays it to the public can sometimes say more of the incident than the truth itself. Often, the media wildly misconstrues the actual events of history which can change the public’s outlook on an entire situation. This, in turn, helps form policies and decisions these historical events can bring about, meaning, the media’s interpretation of an event has the ability to reveal more than the facts. In this short paper, through examining contemporaneous media coverage, I am going to demonstrate how the outcome Korean War was, in many regards, in the hands of the media.

For the government had inadequate controls, the media was able to publish uncensored pictures and videos showing the brutality of the war in Vietnam and, thus, vastly influence public opinion, contrasting between what the governments adamant opinion that the war was going to be won. The media exposed how badly the environment and weather was that the troops were dealing with and also the consequences of unknown territory, constantly paranoid as to whether they were going to be ambushed by camouflaged Viet Cong or attacked by hidden booby traps. The troops were unexperienced in the field and at major

- quoted by Pilger, J., (2001). p.182.) This proved to be one of the many propaganda missions played out by the American government to convince the people of America of the just and honourable need to go to war in Vietnam - although notably during these crucial, early stages of the war, much of America’s military involvement and activities in Vietnam went unreported in the American media and it is argued that ‘[the] American press was simply not interested in Vietnam’ (Wyatt, C., (1993), Paper Soldiers: The American Press and the Vietnam War, p.67).

“The Vietnam War was one of the most publicized wars in all of American history” (ows.edb.utexas.edu). As a result the media played a very important role in the war. It had a very powerful effect on americans opinion on the subject, because this was the first time they got to see what was actually happening right on their living room tv’s.The media mostly covered the horrors of the war which made many americans turn against it and look down on the soldiers who fought in it.

ar to the way the party justified their unethical actions why calling them Thought Crimes. The party vaporized any person that goes against the government, and justifies this action by calling it a Thought Crime, this use of propaganda is identical to the actions in Yugoslavia. Nations of the world are treating their people in a cruel way, but by the use of propaganda they advertise is as something that needs to be done to benefit the country. This way people accept it (Steele 36). The nation in 1984 and those around the world, both strive for total control and power.

People’s opinion on the war was greatly influenced by the media. During the Vietnam War, the horrors that were happening on the battlefield were shown to Americans in their living rooms. There was no censorship meaning Americans back home saw dead bodies, Vietnamese children being shot and villages being burnt, all done by American Soldiers. Watching children, babies and old people being killed caused people to label soldiers as murderers and baby killers. Before Vietnam, soldiers had always been shown in a heroic way. But now, reporters would show only parts of a story, the parts that made soldiers look bad. In the Vietnam War, reporters could literally follow soldiers onto the battle fields and show it on television. Also, most photographers were interested in showing the bad aspects of the war such as the remaining destroyed village of Vietnamese or the suffering of soldiers. The media built stereotypes of soldiers at war as part of anti- war protests so photographers would show the parts that benefited anti-war protests and captured only half the story in his photograph. For

The ‘Tet Offensive’ showed the first signs of the effect the media had in Vietnam, which led to the the question of “why did the audience see what they saw?” Firstly, unlike previous wars journalists had “extraordinary” freedom to cover Vietnam without any direct government intervention. Overtime this noticeably created a problem where the harsh brutal accounts from journalists differed from the positive optimism that United States Officials portrayed. The media was simply the messenger to the American people. But this was the first instance where technological advances had allowed a war to be played out on your own television screen every night of the week. The journalists reacted in the same way as the American public; they too were shocked beyond belief at the constant scenes of burning villages, bloody soldiers and lifeless bodies. These feelings came across in the broadcasts and like the ‘media effects theory’ explains, naturally Americans took up that same belief. This was the first time that the American public showed collective beliefs opposing to the war. To further push public opinion against the war, Hallin suggested that there was a “…declining morale among American troops in the field…”. The thirty-minute nightly

One of the most defining features of the conflict in Vietnam is the lack of censorship and the resulting public condemnation of the war, which many say was what lead to American failure in their retreat from Vietnam. Due to unrestrained media access and widespread publication of negative information during the Vietnam War, and the consequential public outcry against involvement, censorship could be altered and carried out in a more practical way for following conflicts. The freedom with which the Vietnam War was reported exposed the public to information that had previously been withheld, ultimately affecting the opinions of the government at the time and influencing future politicians to resort back to censorship in order to keep favour within

war the enemy would be in uniform and it was clear who to kill who not

The 1960s was a period of immense change in America. The decade brought about various social changes such as the Civil Rights Movement and the Women’s Liberation Movement. These movements would forever change the landscape of America. However, the discussion of the Vietnam War was never far from people’s minds. This war would serve as an introduction to what war was to the home front. It was in the homes of America where so many had been previously sheltered from the realities of war. During previous conflicts, there had been a military censorship on all media that pertained to war. This would not be the case in Vietnam, it would be completely uncensored. The ability for reporters to provide a commentary on the war without censorship would change the all-American, Captain America view that Americans had in previous wars. The lack of censorship would be a major factor in the overall soldier experience in the Vietnam war.

The use of propaganda has helped United States out in many ways and has become a tactic to win wars. For example, during World War 2 the United States used posters and newspapers to get the public riled up about the war. This eventually helped the country out and helped them win the war. The use of media propaganda can help out in many ways such as encouraging soldiers to fight, implant a strong dislike for the nemesis, or just get support from back home. These little things have helped United States win wars in the past when done correctly. But when the technique of propaganda is used wrong, it can be the key factor of losing a war and that is exactly what happened in the Vietnam War.

The Vietnam War was the first war that allowed uncensored media coverage resulting in images and accounts of horrific events that served to shape public opinion of the war like nothing that had been seen before. This portrayal by the media led to a separation between the press and the U.S. government, as much of what was reported defied the intentions of government policy. The media has fell blame by many for the result of the war, as it is widely believed that the war could not have been won under the scrutiny that came from the American people as a result of the media

The Vietnam War affected greatly the media. This is because the media was mainly used to communicate and spread word about protests and social gatherings. The media was also used by Americans to ensure that their views were heard. This ensured the protest outcome was better. The productivity of protests became increased as more media joined in to relay messages during the protests. In such protests, the government would violate the constitutional rights of the American citizens by preventing them from speaking their minds. This, as stipulated by the constitution on the bill of rights, barred them from enjoying the right of free speech. At that point, the Americans realized that the constitution was bigger than the administration of the government, and they protested even more to ensure that their constitutional privileges were not