The Media at War

War is portrayed many ways in the media. The Vietnam War and World War II were different in the media's perspective. For one, the Vietnam War was looked at as a war that we should have not of participated in because it was not our problem. It was not a well supported war either, due to the negative influence the media had on the public. The media in the Vietnam War brought home images of American soldiers and Vietnamese civilians getting killed therefore turning the public against the war and the military. World War II on the other hand was a war where the American population was very supportive to the troops over seas due to the positive influence the media gave them. The media in World War II brought patriotism and pride to the American people by means of propaganda posters, films, and radio.
The Vietnam War was the first war to be broadcasted live on television for tens of millions to see at home. This was also the first time the television had shown live war action including death and destruction. This had a negative influence on the public at home because of the, "on-screen killings, as well as live-action footage of the bulldozing of human carcasses into mass graves, the napalming of children, and the ravaging of villages by American soldiers" (Franklin 441). Seeing all of the death and destruction made the American people at home confused and angry about the war. …