Overview
There’s always been a toxic relationship between the media and the government during war. On one side of the coin, the government attempts to put up a facade of clean hands to the public while the press will always do their best to uncover wrongdoings. On the otherside of the coin, the press can publish half-truths or rumors as factual to steer the public to pro or anti war objectives and the government has to deal with the repercussions. There can be manipulation on both sides but the bottom line is that the public is always being manipulated in one way or another. Wars are a great distraction to what's going on behind the scenes.
Vietnam War
One of the biggest contoverial events that took place regarding the press’s role and the episode of war has to do with the Vietnam war that occured back in the 70’s. According to the government their reasoning for the war was to stop the spread of communism and avoid the domino affect which is the belief that if one country is overtaken by communism then the same can happen to other countries. Though this assertion was called into question by the media and college students who spearheaded the antiwar movement. They believed that the government’s main motive was obscured and not as pure due to the questionable incident known as the Gulf of Tonkin Incident where North Vietnames torpedo boats allegedly attacked U.S destroyer vessels according to this article. The Vietnam war was also broadcasted to the public as it was the “first war on televion.” Many journalists were able to be present during the war as the military provided transportation to newspeopple which worked to their benefit as they got to be alongside soldiers in the battlefield and get their stories first-hand. This led to a massive amount of coverage on the war, although many journalists did pass away in the war as well. From their the film could be flown and edited which gave the public a very quick turnaround time regarding war content. This was the first time the public saw the casualties and brutality of war upclose and personal. There was such resistance to the military as many were forced into the draft and there seemed to be no victory as many deaths occurred for a questionable cause.
Saigon Execution
A photo broadcasted on NBC News was one of the most influential moments that the media covered which put a spotlight on the savagery happening in the war in 1968. The photo showed the exectution of a prisoner, Nguyễn Văn Lém, in a moment as the South Vietnamese police chief Nguyễn Ngọc Loan held a gun at point blank range to his head before firing a bullet into the handcuffed man according to this article. This was front page in every media outlet and led to even more backlash and negativity towards the Vietnam conflict.
My Lai Massacre
My Lai which was a small village in Quang Ngai was believed to be a major communist territory and occupied by Vietnam Guerillas. An American military group, the Charlie Company, consisting of more than 100 men were directed to search-and-destroy the village. All the residents of the village were children, women, and elderly men. Only a handful of weapons were found but the villagers were still rounded up and executed. It was a violent massacre as huts were burned down, women shielding their children were shot, kids running away were gunned down, and many females were viciously raped. It wasn’t until Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson, an Army helicopter pilot on a seperate mission, saw what was happening from above and threatened to shoot fire at the soliers that the Charlie Company stopped their attack. According to this article, the casualties consisted of 182 women, 17 of them pregnant, and 173 children, including 56 infants. The report of the incident was sent out to multiple higher up executives in the U.S.Government, including the president, with no response. Not until the story was given to an investigative journalist, Seymour Hersh, was the incident uncovered to the public. It let to an investigation where only 14 of 100 or more men involved were charged. 13 of those men were aqquited for all of their charges. The only person who did time was the chief commander who ordered his men to murder the village. Charged with 20 years in prison, he only had to serve 10 of those years. American soldiers had commited one of the most attrocious war crime and only one man was convicted for the death of more than 300 innocent lives with a measly decade served as justice. Trust and patriotism plummeted as the end of the war had no success to be proud of.
Analysis
As the most broadcasted war, the journalistic roles played a massive impact in unveiling the dark side of the war effort. Prior to this point, the public took the government’s word at face value as there was no other option to believe. Though when coverage emerged, it painted a rather gruesome vision that citizens had never been faced with. The harsh reality of soldiers laying down their lives in a foreign country, commanded by faceless superiors was exposed. Both incidents shed light on two different aspects of war. The Saigon Execution summed the reality of war in a single photo. The My Lai Massacre serves to display the secrets the government tries to stay hidden and the job of journalists to investigate coverups.
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