What Role Did the American Media Play in the Vietnam War

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Introduction:
The American media is a vital resource for coverage on national and international affairs. They keep the public informed and report on matters that the United States is involved in so the American people can form their own views and opinions on them. Notably the media simply cannot report on every event that involves America so, they also have the job of picking and choosing between what is most important and what is newsworthy, alongside the task of reporting news reports that will produce high enough ratings to keep their news station up and running. All American media outlets face these challenges; whether it is television media, newspaper media, or radio media. Both the American media and the American people need each other—the people need the media for information on current events and American affairs, and the media need the people for ratings and reoccurring interest and support in their news reports to keep them in business.
Media’s Importance and Limitations:
Sometimes the media can under-report events such as the war in Afghanistan. The Afghan War was one of the most under-reported wars in United States history. In 2010, only four percent of American newspaper media was devoted to the Afghan War (Hanrahan). The American people had substantially limited information about the war; therefore opinions about it were rather vast—some supported it, while others did not. A major reason for this was the lack of American news reporters in Afghanistan. There were only a handful of American news reporters in Afghanistan at that time and those who were there struggled to get a story. Those travelling with military units constantly had to be on high alert of their surroundings and while moving with the unit they often ...

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Hanrahan, John. "The War without End is a War with Hardly Any News Coverage." Nieman
Watchdog. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.
History.com Staff. "Vietnam War Protests." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web.
14 Apr. 2014.
Kagan, Richard C. "Vietnam War." Encyclopedia of Modern Asia. Ed. Karen Christensen and
David Levinson. Vol. 6. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2002. 76-82. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 6 May 2014.
"Media and the War." Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. New York:
Charles Scribner's Sons, 1996. World History in Context. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.
Potter , Paul. "Students For A Democratic Society (SDS)." Students For A Democratic Society
(SDS). N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
"Vietnam War: Draft Resistance." Vietnam: Draft Resistance. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.

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