Essay On Impact Of Mass Media On Armed Forces

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Impact of Mass Media on the United States Armed Forces

Mass media is much more accessible to the general public than in the past due to technological improvements and introduction of social media.
In the 21st century, the United States Armed Forces has dealt with many issues. The most apparent topics in today’s media are; ethics, sexual assault, posttraumatic stress disorder, alcohol related incidents, participation of gay and lesbians serving in the U.S. military, and representation of the United States uniform 24 hours a day. Although mass media often helps to discredit the military, the United States Armed Forces responds in various ways to systematically improve their operations and training procedures.
Since World War II, forms of mass media have significantly changed. The majority of information that was disseminated during World War II was in forms of newspapers, radios, and photos. Over 1,500 cameramen documented World War II with either pictures or video for the world to see (Schickel). A scene in the documentary, “Shooting War: World War II combat cameramen”, a Marine combat cameramen named Richard Brooks asked Lieutenant General Holland Smith ”Mad”, “General, is there a way that we can carry a side arm because we only have our cameras?” the General responded, “I don’t care if the cameras have no film, I want the cameras there in front of you and the cameras there at all times because those are the eyes of the world” (Schickel). The importance of media was one of the efforts that the government wanted to use in order to persuade the American people into supporting the war. A photographer named Jimmy Hare said, "Photographs seem to be the only thing the War department is really afraid of”(Neuman82). The enemi...

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... improvements in the way the United States Armed Forces operate. The U.S. military consistently strives to provide facts to the public and face issues head-on to uphold the integrity of the U.S. Armed Forces, which is essential to adapting to operational commitments. It has always been essential to the United States Armed Forces to keep the world informed about situations and normal operations to prevent any speculations from unanswered questions. With the consistent development of mass media, the United States Armed Forces will continue to face negative issues, improve policies and uphold standards of the United States Armed Forces. Today’s mass media has increasingly affected the way the United States Armed Forces operates. The U.S military uses discrediting media connotation to systematically improve operations and training procedures within our Armed Forces.

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