The Media (The Vietnam War)

The media. The Vietnam War. The Vietnam War is often referred to as the first television war. Media coverage showed the American public the reality of a foreign war, detached from the government's optimistic depiction, uncensored on their televisions at home. During the 1960s, it was a huge increase in television ownership in American households, and news shows became a popular source of information. Video technology was also improving, and lightweight portable camcorders and audio recording equipment allowed journalists and reporters to capture the war close up and in great quantity. This would prove problematic for the US government when it came to censorship. Stories could be live or edited, which could be done rapidly with film being sent to and transmitted from Tokyo. In the first years of the war, the media portrayed a positive image of the conflict, with a clear US victory in sight. News reports focused mainly on communism and the Cold War, and the US government happily allowed journalists access to American troops and the Vietnam battlefield. The media started to move towards a negative stance, as it was apparent how brutal President Diem's regime was in the South. In the United States, the civil rights and anti-war movements influenced the mainstream media into criticism of US policies. The number of correspondents increased as the war intensified. Most stayed in Saigon to report, but some went to the front lines and came across the same risks as the soldiers. Around 60 journalists were killed during the war. The unrestricted access given to correspondents became detrimental during the Tet Offensive in 1968, where a pessimistic, inevitable defeat was portrayed in the news. President Johnson would say upon watching CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite's report on Vietnam, The controversy over the media's role in the eventual American defeat in the Vietnam War came about from the reporting on the Tet Offensive as a complete communist victory, which was misleading to the public. However, it is also argued by some historians that the media reporting during the Vietnam War was mainly reflective of the situation, and that it was largely supportive of the US effort, with the main factor of American public disillusionment being the rising number of American casualties. Subscribe for more Vietnam War history videos. Get Simple History The Vietnam War and Simple History The Cold War today. Thank you guys for all your support on the Simple History YouTube channel. If you enjoy it, please consider visiting our Patreon page. There, you can show us your support for the channel by donating and make a huge difference in what we're able to create for you. Plus, you can get early access on upcoming videos. So let's keep it growing and thank you for being part of this amazing community.