The Media and the Military in the Vietnam War - 1593 Words

The media and Military The War in Vietnam was the first real â€Å"television† war, meaning it was the first conflict where the U.S. military found itself attempting to control a media which was not fully supportive of the country’s involvement. (79) It was also the first â€Å"open† conflict where the media was deployed in force without restriction. (79) The media saw a need to cater to those who opposed the war for the first time. The conflict was taking place in a remote area, and apart from conscription, there was little threat to the security of the citizen or state. (79) Young and Jesser argue that the U.S. government also held outdated expectations of popular support under the â€Å"social contract† during this time. Now citizens were afforded the luxury to make up their minds on the legitimacy of the conflict, with many wanting answers the government could, or perhaps would not provide. (79) The Vietnam War is the first war in which the garnering of popular support on the home front was no longer a mainstay of the war effort. The media played a fundamental role in changing the outcome of the Vietnam War. The media eroded public support back in the United States and became the driving force behind the growing unpopularity of the war. The media brought politics into the living room which in turn made citizens experts on matters of national security and foreign policy. The Americans had no policy or machinery in place to handle the media, even when Vietnam became news after theShow MoreRelatedTo What Extent The American News Media Affected The Support And Result Of The Vietnam War1722 Words   |  7 Pagesextent the American news media affected the support and result of the Vietnam War. The Vietnam Conflict was officially recognized as a war beginning in 1955, but it was not until the 1960s that U.S. news outlets began coverage on the conflict in Vietnam. Before this era, the news was mainly concerned with reporting issues that had to do with communism and the cold war with Russia. It wasn t until the North Vietnamese s communist efforts were more widely known that the U.S. media started covering theRead MoreTo What Extent The American News Media Affected The Support And Result Of The Vietnam War1743 Words   |  7 Pagesextent the American news media affected the support and result of the Vietnam War. The Vietnam Conflict was officially recogniz ed as a war beginning in 1955, but it was not until the 1960s that U.S. news outlets began coverage on the conflict in Vietnam. Before this era, the news was mainly concerned with reporting issues that had to do with Communism and the Cold War with the USSR. It wasn t until the North Vietnamese s communist efforts were more widely known that the U.S. media started covering theRead MoreWhy Did The Tet Offensive Affect America s Societal Opinion On The Involvement Of The Vietnam War1739 Words   |  7 PagesIn january, 1968 the Tet Offensive of the Vietnam war was launched. The Tet Offensive was a carefully planned military campaign composed of surprise attacks on the republic of Vietnam by the communist parties of North and South Vietnam during the vietnamese holiday, Tet. The Tet offensive, militarily was a massive defeat for the communist parties of Vietnam, however it led to mass disillusionment within the U.S., diminishing public support for the war, inevitably forcing a withd rawal of U.S. troopsRead MoreThe Battle Of The Vietnam War Essay1431 Words   |  6 Pagesdiscussion 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. 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