[65] Although MACV officially remained dedicated to providing evenly balanced public affairs information, the situation was exacerbated by the manpower drawdowns at the Public Affairs Office itself. A few days after Cronkiteâs âNewsâ broadcast 49% of Americans said it was a mistake to have entered Vietnam at all. Tools for this unit: Your feedback is important to us! Agence France Presse maintained a bureau there throughout the war.[42]. [16] Once again, however, despite occasional factual errors and conflict between the press and the embassy, most of the news commentaries were reasonably accurate. Although the ambushers would be forced back and the survivors rescued, the United States Marine Corps would deny the Column's existence just the very next day, preferring to focus on the operation's success instead, much to the ire of the reporting journalists, who had risked their lives to help load the column's many casualties onto their impromptu evacuation helicopter. CBS News. The Kennedy administration then went on the offensive, bombarding news editors in the US with complaints concerning the accuracy of the reporting of the Saigon press corps. A January 1965 Gallup poll indicated that two out of three Americans agreed that the country would never form a stable government and that four out of five Americans felt that the communists were winning. According to Clarence Wyatt, the American disengagement was: like watching a film running backward. [58] For the most part, television remained a follower rather than a leader. [19] There was also an increase in the number of American homes with televisions (which led to a rise in people gaining their knowledge of the war from television). [22] Although the US Department of Defense offered a brief introductory course for journalists on the history and the culture of Vietnam, few attended it. After viewing our curriculum units, please take a few minutes to help us understand how the units, which were created by public school teachers, may be useful to others. [41] Other correspondents who later made the journey to North Vietnam included Mary McCarthy, Anthony Lewis, Michael McLear from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and R. K. Karanjia from India. The Vietnam Conflict, which lasted from 1965 to 1973, was the first televised war in American history. New technologies, such as satellite technology, allowed for a new type of war coverage. What began to change in 1967… was the conviction that the forces of good would inevitably prevail. Fully half of those accredited were not reporters but instead technicians, secretaries, drivers, translators, and wives. [35] The Saigon bureau chiefs were also often invited to closed sessions at which presentations would be made by a briefing officer, the CIA station chief, or an official from the embassy who would present background or off-the-record information on upcoming military operations or Vietnamese political events.[36]. "[47][48] Whether that statement was actually made by Johnson has been called into doubt. After it, correspondents became steadily more convinced that they (and, by extension, the American people) were being lied to and withdrew, embittered, into their own community.[13][14]. By 1964, the leadership of both the US and South Vietnam had changed hands. Between 1965 and 1975 no other single event so dominated television news programs as did the war in Vietnam. Believed to have lasted between 1954 to 1975, this war ended two years after the U.S withdrew its forces. On 3 November 1969, President Richard M. Nixon made a televised speech laying out his policy toward Vietnam. The media played an immense role in what the American people saw and believed. And (4) What are the alternatives to our present policy in Vietnam?"[29][30]. "[37] During late 1967, MACV had also begun to disregard the decision that it had made at the Honolulu Conference of 1966 that the military should leave the justification of the war to elected officials in Washington. At the time of the Vietnam War there were significant changes taking place that affected not only the stories that were available to journalists, but also crucially the way in which the news was reported by the media. [66] Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird declined to criticize the negative reporting, which he described as "generally balanced. [62] After the battle's conclusion, major battles of attrition involving American ground forces became rare – as did commentaries from correspondents like those surrounding Hamburger Hill. [12] Ap Bac and the controversy surrounding it, however, marked a permanent divide in the relations between the official US position and the news media in South Vietnam. Many journalists who visited South Vietnam during the war were not primarily interested in the culture or the way of life practiced there, but on the conduct of the war and the disparity between official accounts of it and what journalists were seeing on the ground. News Media Coverage of the 1968 Attack on the American Embassy In Saigon by Jack Riggins Introduction The 1968 Tet offensive is referred to as the turning point in the Vietnam War. [33], The U.S. Mission and MACV also installed an "information czar", the U.S. Mission's Minister-Counselor for Public Affairs, Barry Zorthian, to advise MACV commander, General William Westmoreland on public affairs matters and who had a theoretical responsibility under the ambassador for the development of all information policy. US President Kennedy had been assassinated, and Diem had been murdered during a US-backed military coup. Intense levels of graphic news coverage correlated with dramatic shifts of public opinion regarding the conflict, and there is controversy over what effect journalism had on support or opposition to the war, as well as the decisions that policymakers made in response. Follow the latest news and comprehensive coverage on VIETNAM WAR at CNA. Perhaps the most famous image of the Tet Offensive, a photo that was taken by Eddie Adams, was the photograph that of a Viet Cong member being executed by the Southern Vietnamese Police General, General Nguyen Ngoc Loan. "[60] The U.S. military resented the attention and at first, refused to believe that the problems were as bad as correspondents portrayed them. Next, see what the Vietnam War looked like for those who fought it in this CBS News footage that captured a battle in action in the jungles of Vietnam near Cambodia in March 1970: After viewing the Vietnam War photos above, have a look at two of the era's most iconic images: "Napalm Girl" and the Saigon execution . "[18], Although Operation Candor was a welcome relief for correspondents, it did not halt the media's dubiousness concerning the efficacy of the Saigon government or further American involvement with it. The later years of Vietnam were "a remarkable testimony to the restraining power of the routines and ideology of objective journalism… 'advocacy journalism' made no real inroads into network television. This media coverage differed from that of past wars. Cronkite on Vietnam War In 1968, Walter Cronkite was the anchor for the CBS Evening News. [34] Zorthian possessed both experiences with the media and a great deal of patience and tact while maintaining reasonably good relations with the press corps. By September 1973 that number had dwindled to only 59. He promised to continue to support the South Vietnamese government (through Vietnamization) and held out a plan for the withdrawal of American combat troops. 2 results, {{pagination.index.feedback}} Most depictions of [them] employed hateful imagery or reinforced racial stereotypes of the era associated with Asians. Few, however, wanted a unilateral US withdrawal and 50 percent believed that the US was obliged to defend independent nations from communist aggression.[20]. The media exhibited the "Cold War myopia, ethnocentrism, cultural bias, and racism embedded in American ideology. "[42] Because he reported from the communist side, Burchett was regarded by many in Australia as a traitor and was persona non grata with the Australian government, but he also possessed extraordinary information. [27] Southern guerilla forces were referred to as Viet Cong (despite its wide usage, "Viet Cong", which means "Vietnamese Communist," is considered pejorative[28]). The basic policy governing how the US mission in Saigon handled the reporters reflected the way the administration of President John F. Kennedy conceived of the American role in the war. They leaked information from discussions with Diem to the press, embarrassing him and thwarting the embassy's vigorous efforts to win an end to the anti-Buddhist repressions. [8][9] Both the US mission and Washington condemned the reports and questioned the motives of the correspondents involved. "[61], The next "big story" to come out of Vietnam occurred in May 1969 with the Battle of Hamburger Hill (Dong Ap Bia or Hill 937). Nixon, in an effort to conceal the breakdown of talks, ordered that the public explanation for the bombing be linked to "a possible enemy offensive in the South. [38] That change would have far-reaching detrimental effects. The reportage of the Tet/Battle of Khe Sanh period had been unique, and after it was over reportage settled back into its normal routines. Vanderbilt Television News Archive. The military found itself drawn progressively into politics to the point that it had become as involved in "selling" the war to the American public as the political appointees it served. government. His reporting of the bombing damage to civilian targets forced the Pentagon to admit that accidents and "collateral damage" had occurred during the bombing campaign. on a case study of television coverage of Vietnam, of the thesis that the media shifted during the 1960s and 1970s toward an oppositional relation to political authority. By August that number had jumped to 419. [39], The media's role in bringing a strikingly different depiction of the war into American homes from that of the government signaled a shift in where the American public lay its trust, increasingly toward media reports about the war and away from federal reports about it. "[67], By the end of 1971, the number of accredited American correspondents had declined to fewer than 200. The Vietnam War was raging and the american public was deeply ⦠It concludes that while there was a substantial increase in critical news content during the Vietnam War, [40], Although access to North Vietnam by western correspondents was difficult, it was possible, especially when the authorities, who heavily oversaw and restricted any such visit, saw an advantage in the situation. 110 Twenty-first Avenue South, Suite 704 Nashville, TN 37203, USA. Many Americans were unaware of the extent of the brutality involved in the war, but the Tet Offensive changed that, and American television cameras were available firsthand to record footage of the bombing of cities and the execution of prisoners of war. Coup followed coup as South Vietnamese generals vied for power. The traditional sources – press conferences, official news releases, and reports of official proceedings were less utilized than ever before. "[24] The domino theory was utilized to justify the American intervention in order to prevent regional domination by China, overlooking centuries of hostility between the Vietnamese and the Chinese. Diem's government and military were hindering a positive solution to the problem. 1 of The high number of American casualties (70 dead and 372 wounded) produced an unusual burst of explicit questioning of military tactics from correspondents in the field and from Congressmen in Washington. "[45][46] Following Cronkite's editorial report, President Lyndon Johnson is reported to have said, "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost Middle America. In this era before cable television, whole families still gathered to watch the evening news. [6] The death of civilians in an attempted coup against President Diem at the end of 1960 started to change how South Vietnam was viewed by the media. Critical "failures to convey" occurred. Freelance correspondents were required to produce a letter from one of their clients affirming that agency's willingness to purchase their work[32]. Media correspondents were invited to attend nightly MACV briefings covering the day's events that became known as the Five O'Clock Follies, most correspondents considering the briefings to be a waste of time. That interpretation is simply not supported by the Gallup polls conducted throughout the war. [19] It did not help matters that JUSPAO was also MACV's propaganda arm, a fact that was well known to news correspondents. American troops were leaving until there were only a handful of advisers left. Jeff Glor. Pueblo Incident â January 1968 (ABC) Clip. By clicking subscribe, I agree to receive news updates and promotional material from Mediacorp and Mediacorp's partners. Episode 1407 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the unrestricted media coverage of the Vietnam War with an emphasis on that of CBS. U.S. television coverage and the CNN factor. War IL' Television coverage might, alternatively, have soured the American people on their government's policies in Vietnam by slanting the news, by putting the American effort there in an unfavorable light. The highly-dangerous task of reporting with the PAVN/VC in the South was left to Wilfred Burchett, an Australian who had begun reporting on the war in 1963. "[17] During the Buddhist Crisis, the number of correspondents in South Vietnam swelled from an original nucleus of eight to a contingent of over 60. The South Vietnamese military was once again on the defensive, and the leadership of the nation was isolated and increasingly paranoid… Nixon's goal, like Kennedy's, was for the press to have nothing to report. The reporting of what became a debacle for the South Vietnamese military, and the condemnation heaped upon it by the Western press became a controversial issue that then attracted a great deal of public attention. These stories increased in number as U.S. soldiers "began to worry about being the last casualty in the lame-duck war. As more American households obtained television sets, it became easier for citizens to keep up with the war. After visiting South Vietnam during the Tet Offensive, Cronkite said in an editorial on 27 February 1968, "To say that we are closer to victory today is to believe, in the face of the evidence, the optimists who have been wrong in the past. [44] Adams won a prize for his iconic photo, which was said to be more influential than the video that was released of the same execution. meREWARDS lets you get coupon deals, and earn cashback when you complete surveys, dine, travel and shop with our partners, Displaying Lichty, Lawrence W, "Comments on the Influence of Television on Public Opinion" in Peter Braestrup, ed. Michelle Wulfson | The ItemEarnest Barron stands in front of the Vietnam War memorial at the H.E.A.R.T.S. From the early stages of the war and until its end, the South Vietnamese people were regularly viewed by the media with condescension, contempt, and disdain. 10 out of As a result, the New York Times sent the first reporter to Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam. The North was entirely under the control of the Vietnamese Communist Party, driven by Ho Chi Minh; its capital was Hanoi. The US Army's official history of military-media relations reported, "Although marred at times by rhetoric and mistaken facts, they often probed to the heart of the crisis. [63], Tensions between the news media and the Nixon administration only increased as the war dragged on. An early divide between the personalities of the US government and the Saigon press corps can be seen in the aftermath of Operation Starlite, a large-scale search-and-destroy mission conducted during the escalation phase of 1965. [23] Meanwhile, none of the networks trained their correspondents to understand military matters. "No longer was the question whether the United States was going to get out, but rather how and how fast. As has been seen since, these developments decreased the extent of the mediaâs deference in a time of war and enabled greater independence (Robinson, 2010). [3] The Viet Cong would never again fight effectively as a cohesive force. Journalists focused more on research, interviews and analytical essays to obtain information rather than press conferences, official news releases and reports of official proceedings. From 40 in 1964, the press corps in South Vietnam had grown to 282 by January 1966. 1. "[59], As the American commitment waned there was an increasing media emphasis on Vietnamization, the South Vietnamese government, and casualties – both American and Vietnamese. In a key televised debate from 15 May 1965, Eric Sevareid, reporting for CBS, conducted a debate between McGeorge Bundy and Hans Morgenthau dealing with an acute summary of the main war concerns of the U.S. as seen at that time: "(1) What are the justifications for the American presence in Vietnam – why are we there? AFVN News â Armed Forces Vietnam Network â Feb. 3, 1973. The press reported heavily on the "mixed" capabilities of the South Vietnamese defense and on the retaliatory U.S. bombing effort in North Vietnam, Operation Linebacker. John McCain: Those in Vietnam remember former prisoner of war | Video, US COVID-19 death toll exceeds Americans killed in Vietnam War as cases top 1 million. The traditional view holds that Americans watched the news in horror and were pushed against the war by graphic and misleading portrayals of the war. [a] While the top levels of the US mission in Saigon were inordinately closemouthed around reporters during this period, others, especially those who disagreed with the policy of supporting Diem, were not. Yet analysis of the content of actual news broadcasts does not support the contention that nightly news programs were filled with pictures of battle, or the dead, dying and wounded. [57], Television's image of the war, however, had been permanently altered: the "guts and glory" image of the pre-Tet period was gone forever. The American people, however, were unconvinced. At the same time, advances in video and audio recording enabled both easier and more news coverage. [10] The correspondents, however, did not question the black-and-white assumptions of the time that the war was a part of the larger struggle between the free world and totalitarianism or whether the war was beyond America's ability to win. The media demonstrated, however, "that the best reporters, by virtue of their many contacts, had a better grasp of the war's unmanageable human element than the policy makers supposedly in control. [5], The first editorial about the rise of communism in Vietnam was published by The New York Times in January 1955. The report was so endemic to US public sentiment towards the Vietnam War that three years later Walter Cronkite, the CBS News lead, reported that the Vietnam War was unwinnable for the United States. Possible methods included Internal Revenue Service audits, Justice Department antitrust lawsuits against major television networks and newspapers that could be accused of monopolistic business practices, and the monitoring incidents of "unfairness" by television broadcasters that would be turned over to the Federal Communications Commission for possible legal action.[64]. According to a Harris poll, fewer than 50 percent agreed that it was "inhuman and immoral for the U.S. to have bombed Hanoi's civilian center" and 71 percent believed "what we did in bombing Hanoi was no worse than what the communists have done in the Vietnam War. The impact of television coverage of the Vietnam War was meaningful, but probably in a different way than is usually explained. This page was last edited on 26 November 2020, at 19:43. During a bombing halt in September 1967, Harrison E. Salisbury of the New York Times became the first correspondent from a major US newspaper to go to North Vietnam. People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and Viet Cong (VC) troops throughout the South attacked in force for the first time in the war; over the course of the offensive, 50,000 of these troops were killed (by Army of the Republic of Vietnam and American troops). The Persian Gulf War was a heavily televised war. ... By clicking subscribe, I agree to receive news updates and promotional material ⦠According to the reporters, the solution was for the US either to get rid of Diem or to take over direct control of the war itself. Videorecording of entire debate proceedings available at the, research, interviews and analytical essays, US President Kennedy had been assassinated, murdered during a US-backed military coup, "From Vietnam to Iraq: How Americans Have Rated the President", "Democracy and Protracted War: The Impact of Television", "Binh Phu: A Lesson in How Viet Cong Village Operates", "The Vietnam War, Through Eddie Adams' Lens", "Cronkite, who defined the role of anchor, dies at 92", United States Army Center of Military History, "The My Lai Massacre and Courts-Martial: An Account", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=United_States_news_media_and_the_Vietnam_War&oldid=990835684, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from May 2020, Wikipedia articles needing factual verification from May 2020, Articles with dead external links from May 2020, Articles with incomplete citations from May 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2018, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. The Vietnam War (1955â75) was a time of great controversy in the United States. [4], The news then reflected communism and the Cold War. Phone 615-322-2927. Barron enlisted into the Navy in ⦠Many of the examples used to support the traditional view, including the exposure of the My Lai Massacre and a broadly published photographof s⦠How TV news coverage of Vietnam War traveled across America While our CBS News team is in Vietnam covering the summit between President Trump ⦠[56] Never, for example, did historian Daniel Hallin hear an American correspondent or commentator utter the word imperialism in connection with the U.S. commitment on television. According to Daniel Hallin, It was not until the collapse of consensus was well under way that coverage began to turn around; and when it did turn, it only turned so far. This prompted the response from President Johnson that if he had lost Cronkite, he had lost the American public, the CBS News reports. 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