The Vietnam War

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The Vietnam War has gone down in United Sates history as one of the longest conflicts the country has faced. This prolonged war was not only costly in economic standards but also in American lives. In a time when the cold war turned hot disputes erupted in the various areas in Vietnam. Along with its southern allies, otherwise known as the Viet Cong, Northern Vietnam raged war against South Vietnam. With its main ally, the United States continued to fight to “save” South Vietnam from turning into an entirely communist country. While the war continued it became increasingly unpopular in the United States. With media advancing and increasing, the people of the United States could comprehend the war in ways never seen before. For the first time every the horrors of war were brought into the homes of countless American families. In fact, the Vietnam War was the first war that the United States allowed full freedom to the press to cover whatever they wanted with zero censorship. Along with the freedom to film, photograph, and record anything about the war the cold truth was seen and eventually lead to the withdrawal of America from Vietnam. In the early stages of the Vietnam War, many people were in favor of the war and even supported the war effort. This people were commonly known as Hawks, and were the majority of public in the United States. These people did not question why the war was taking place or if the United States had a right to be in Vietnam. In the past, the media's main job was to keep the good people of America optimistic, feel safe in there homes, and to keep them panic free. For example, during the World Wars and the Korean War, the media portrayed what the government and militaries actions were doing in a... ... middle of paper ... ...gan to disagree with the war efforts. It is obvious that the media played an incredibly vital role in redirecting the public opinion of the Vietnam War and also to end it. Although the American military would have eventually withdrawn from Vietnam due to its poor assistance; it is a sure fact that it would have taken a lot longer if the media didn’t have as much freedom to present information as it did. Because the media was able to provide the American public with cold hard facts and graphic imagery, the public was able to understand what was truly happening in Vietnam. The media coverage of the Tet offense, the My Lai Massacre, Kent state University, and the Pentagon Papers led to disbelief and anger in the United States Citizens. Due to the pressure on government officials to end the Vietnam War from the citizens and media the war was eventually put to an end.

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