Who is Affecting Whom?: A Reevaluation of the Impact of Media Coverage During the Vietnam War

Abstract

This thesis dives into the impact of television coverage of the Vietnam War on the domestic reaction within the United States. It is no coincidence that the first war to enter living rooms all over the country cultivated such an intense response. From showing the atrocities of war itself to unveiling the lack of disclosure from the government, the media controlled how the public viewed the war. For the first time in our history, war could no longer be romanticized. It is difficult to ignore the violence and the death when you can tune in to the reports at any time. Did the media have an impact on the antiwar movement? Was the television coverage of the war enough to poke the paranoia of the U.S. government? Who did the media coverage of the war affect the most?