Media Coverage of the Vietnam War

Vietnam and the Medias Coverage of It

Vietnam is unlike any war ever fought, unlike other war that we fought

none before that brought so much controversy as to how it was covered

by the media, it forever changed the way we the public looked at war.

As technology evolved so did the ability to cover news. In the years

prior to Vietnam there was only radio and television was not yet in

every household, not to mention there wasn't no color televisions and

very few color pictures. The media not only improved with their

technology but they also were bigger than they had ever been. It was

not so much the size of the war that really made an impact as to how

we saw war afterward, in other past wars there were many more

casualties, it was the coverage of it.

In past wars such as Korea and World War II there was coverage but it

was more restricted and biased. The media would portray the Americans

as heroes and men were proud and to join the service. The movies of

the past portrayed that heroism, an example of that was John Wayne who

starred in many of the war movies made at that time. By seeing so many

movies that portrayed Americans winning all the time and not showing

the brute reality of real war it was easy to convince young men that

war was not that violent and that every battle we went into we would

win. Wife's and girlfriends were supported it to because at the time

of war it brought back the economy out a depression. So while most

people living the United States had no clue what was really going on

in wars prior to Vietnam. Very few films ever portrayed the death of

American soldiers or if they did they would not show the faces of

...

... middle of paper ...

...ied to the public to the extent

where the public felt all unit acted in the same manner.

The war was fought in two fronts one being from the side of the public

who was seeing the events on television and the other on real front

line where the actual soldiers were fighting the war. The government

had protestors known as hawks who were against troops in Vietnam. The

showing of the truth of war made it so that the government could not

freely to do what they intended. With the public not in support then

there could not be more troops sent to Vietnam, there could not be

more money put into the war because public support was not behind it.

Unlike other war where the war was completely supported like in World

War II not having the full support caused the government to think

twice before each action taken. The government was