Press and War: The Vietnam War

 

The Vietnam war was a big-time broadcast in the history of news telling. The War lasted from 1955 to 1975. The tension of the Cold War ran high throughout the country while there was a craving to watch the fight against the evils of communism. During the height of the Vietnam War, there were around 600 accredited Journalists in Vietnam. Journalists all over the world were gathering stories for television, newspapers, magazines, and radio stations. The war was so popular that people at home wanted 24-hour coverage. Families had sons, husbands, and brothers in the Vietnam War so news coverage was their only hope of hearing if their family member was safe or in danger. From 1950 to 1966 the percentage of American shows owned a television rose from 9% to 93%. The conflict in Vietnam is often referred to as the “first television war”. Reports would bring the battlefield right to home living rooms. During World War II the camera crew and reporters showed happier moments out of combat. While in Vietnam reporting was done right in the field.  The footage would be flown to Tokyo overnight to be edited and developed then would make its way to the United States to be broadcasted in the morning. Mind you not all of these stories were fresh from the war, but it was the first time that the public had quick knowledge of what was happening across seas. 

The role the media played in the Vietnam War brings huge controversy. Many people believe that the role of social media played a part in the United States' defeat. They believed that the filming of the War provided viable information to the enemy that they should have never seen. Others also believe that it negatively showed the War and reduced the amount of support. This actually turns out to be untrue. Researchers discovered that most news coverage of the War was beneficial to the United States Military.

They came to the conclusion that the number of casualties is what actually undermined the public support. The more American casualties the less level of public support. The viewing of in combat action fueled the pro and anti-war activists. One of these fueled moments was the My Lai Massacre in 1968. This was one horrific incident committed against unarmed civilians during the war. American soldiers brutally killed most of the women, men, and children of the My Lai village. This was broadcasted on television which caused an uproar among anti-war activists. The aftermath caused riots throughout cities and college campuses all over the United States. The outrage that television coverage caused helped lead to the withdrawal of United States troops in 1973 and ultimately end the United States' involvement in the war.

While doing my research on the Vietnam War and the media I came to the conclusion that they played a bigger part than most people realize. This was the first time that the average American got to witness what war was actually like. It kept the whole United States up to date on how we were doing as a country, but also on what conditions their family members were in. It also played a huge role in how Americans truly felt about the war and ended up aiding in the return of American Soldiers.