The Role Of The Media In The 1960's

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It was a changing time. I suppose every single moment in history is an advancing time of some sort, but some moments are remembered for different reasons. The 1960’s were a time a deeply rooted controversy with wars, civil movements, and the springing up of every radical protest group imaginable. And yet through everything, America placed John F. Kennedy as the president. (History)

The birth of modern technological media was also making a stand. At this time, news broadcasting was still in the process to perfection. It would be used for big events and moments but technology was not advanced enough to assure that every American would have access. The media needed exposure to make the public aware of the opportunity to receive both live and recorded entertainment and information in the form of news. During the presidential debates between JFK and Richard Nixon, it became the first year that the media took the opportunity to televise an event of that magnitude into every home with a television in America. As JFK took the presidency he gripped the media to create his political platform. As he promoted his standing and his campaign, the percentages in American homes with televisions jumped up dramatically
That is the reason that so many rumors and theories started behind this tragic event. Since we don’t know exactly what happened we cannot completely discredit every theory but we must also be informed that the goal of the media was to gain the interest of as many people as they could. The devastation of this event was so great that most media outlets may have been genuinely there to inform the public. It’s important to remember that the media is a business. They will do anything to gain more viewers, followers, and supporters. It’s a matter of reading between the lines of what we receive in order to obtain the most accurate information. Especially in an event such as this

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