Essay On Media In The Vietnam War

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Rather than being explained through political theories, as has been done up until now, the question of why did media scrutiny of the Vietnam War contribute to the end of that conflict by eroding domestic support for the war, yet greater media scrutiny during the War on Terror has not led to a similar outcome can be answered through historical fact. The role of media in outbreak news played a vital role in dramatic shifts of opinion during the Vietnam War. In the beginning of the war, the U.S. media was not interested in covering stories out of Vietnam with only the most breaking news covered. Elite opinions were in support of war efforts, and little attention was paid to the situations occurring in Vietnam beside the outbreak and containment …show more content…

Although it was useful to have all information acquired during the war, the media played a huge role in what the American people saw and believed. In January 1968, Vietcong troops launched a surprise attack in South Vietnam, known as the Tet Offensive. Though U.S. troops were able to fend off the Vietcong and ultimately prevailed militarily, this attack signaled a turning point in both U.S. troop morale and in public trust of the government's reports on the progress of the war; many Americans were not aware of the extent of the brutality involved in the war, until the Tet Offensive, where American television cameras were available firsthand to record footage of the bombing of cities and the execution of prisoners of war (Moise). Journalists that visited Vietnam during the war were not interested in the culture of Vietnam or any aspect of the way of life practiced in that area. Instead, they only focused on the negative and reinforced the American people with the worst of Vietnam. The media played the information to look like Vietnam was in the wrong and the only one at fault. The United States government was painting one picture of the war, while the media was painting another. The government made the war to look more glorious and optimistic

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