Media Impact On The Vietnam War

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The reality of war entered the living rooms of U.S. citizens for the very first time in history throughout the Vietnam War. The general public watched villages being destroyed, Vietnamese kids burning to death, and american body baggages being sent home. Although initial coverage usually supported U.S involvement within the war, newscast dramatically modified the war once the Tet Offensive happened. The anti-war movement gained increasing media attention. Coverage of the war and its ensuing impact on public opinion has been debated several years by many intelligent students and journalist. Journalists primarily in Saigon daily gave reportable facts regarding battles, casualties, and also the morale of the troops. Television and the Tet offensive brought an unreal experience to the folks at home by showing them first hand accounts, raising numbers in support for the war and televisions purchased, and how much of an impact T.V. can make on the public 's opinion war.
The mid-1960 's, tv was thought of to be the foremost vital supply of reports for the general public, and, possibly, the foremost powerful influence on the war itself. Throughout the korean war, the tv audience remained tiny. In 1950, solely 9 % of homes owned a tv. By 1966, this figure rose to 93 % ( Kolly, 1984, p.18). As televisions became well-liked within the home, Americans began to receive all of their news from tv than from the other resources. The
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Combat, interviews with american troops, and chopper scenes all provided the tv news business with the drama that it needed. From 1965 through the Tet Offensive in 1968, 86 % of the CBS and NBC nightly focused totally on ground and air combat (Bonior, Champlin, Kolly, 1984, p.4). As a news reporter relied on american troops for his or her most vital sources the soldier was depicted as a

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