Document Type

Honors Thesis

Publication Date

Spring 2015

Abstract

The Vietnam War was a hallmark in journalism history. Not only was newspaper reporting placed in a prominent role, both on the front lines and at home, but for the first time television was also utilized to bring the horrors of war into the living room. Vietnam may have been in Southeast Asia, but half the fighting occurred in the United States because journalists in Vietnam brought a different, pragmatic view to the American public than what the government was providing. The latter’s misleading optimism and, in some cases, outright deception soon ignited an anti-war movement previously unseen on American soil. Using four pivotal Vietnam War events as case studies, this thesis will illustrate journalists’ influence, showing how important journalism was in the “living room war of the 1960s and 1970s.”

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