No one can say exactly what effect those vivid scenes have on American opinion.
Johnson announced that he would not run for reelection, he stated:Īs I sat in my office last evening, waiting to speak, I thought of the many times each week when television brings the war into the American home. On April 1, 1968, the day after President Lyndon B. The main focus of the media was high morale and support for the war effort.
This ensured that the news didn’t report anything that the military did not want disclosed to the public. Big stories like the A-bomb stayed out of the news until after the war ended. Government censorship over the media influenced this outlook-if the press wanted access to stories about the war, they had to receive credentials from the military. And the newscasters shared only good news and reported bad news with a cheery disposition. The stories were broadcast as motion pictures shown in theaters. Camera crews stayed in noncombat areas to show the happier, more upbeat side of war. So why was Vietnam called the first “television war”?ĭuring World War II, morale was high. For the first time in American history, the news from the front lines was brought straight into the living room. To succeed, they had to do something unprecedented: on-site coverage of the war in Vietnam. They competed for the finest reporters, highest-rated equipment, and largest number of viewers. With the proliferation of televisions, news networks strived to have the most exciting, dramatic, and attractive stories. From 1950 to 1966, the percentage of Americans who owned a television skyrocketed from 9 percent to 93 percent as televisions became essential for everyday life. Cold War tensions ran high as the country relentlessly fought against the alleged evils of communism.Īt the same time, advances in video and audio recording enabled both easier and more news coverage. The Vietnam War (1955–75) was a time of great controversy in the United States. soldiers in position in the first wave of a helicopter combat assault. Today’s post comes from Madie Ward in the National Archives History Office.
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