WHAT DO YOU THINK OF WHEN I SAY THE VIETNAM WAR?
Often the first thing to come to
mind is not the different battles or political intrigues, but the photos. The
images of children running through the streets after being bombed, a Viet Cong
suspect about to be executed in the streets, a monk who has set himself on
fire. At no other time in history was a war as visible as this one had been.
This was the result of two key factors, the growth of the television industry
and the freedom that the press had in Vietnam.
GROWTH OF TV
Before World War 2 the cost of a television was far more than most families could afford. However, as a result of mass production techniques, which were developed during that war, prices were driven down and so sales went up. In 1945 it is estimated that fewer than 10,000 television sets were owned in the United States. Over the next decades this number rose dramatically to 5 million in 1950, and then to nearly 60 million in 1960, and has carried on increasing ever since[1]. It was at this time that television began to overtake the newspaper and radio as the form in which most Americans received their news.
Before World War 2 the cost of a television was far more than most families could afford. However, as a result of mass production techniques, which were developed during that war, prices were driven down and so sales went up. In 1945 it is estimated that fewer than 10,000 television sets were owned in the United States. Over the next decades this number rose dramatically to 5 million in 1950, and then to nearly 60 million in 1960, and has carried on increasing ever since[1]. It was at this time that television began to overtake the newspaper and radio as the form in which most Americans received their news.
FREEDOM OF THE PRESSSince the Vietnam War was never officially declared a war by the US government, US officials had little control over the press. They were prohibited from reporting any news that would have “direct military value”[2], but otherwise went largely unchecked. Journalists were left to decide what stories they wanted to tell from the footage they captured. Reporters integrated themselves into Vietnamese society and American squadrons allowed them to get up close to the events as they unfolded before them. Yet this freedom of movement for the press ended up proving fatal for some reporters. Over 60 journalists were killed or went missing during the conflict. Scores more returned home wounded, both physically and mentally.
The change in public opinion over the years can partially be attributed to the fact that Vietnam was a ‘living room war’. Reports were on the news every night about the war for the whole family to sit down and watch together. In these reports progress was determined by announcing the number of Viet Cong that had been killed, rather than announcing any tangible advances in the conflict. Prior to 1967 only 20 per cent of television reports covered battles, and only a third of these showed any casualties[3]. It was only after the Tet Offensive that public opinion began to change. Although the American military was in the know, the American public and journalists were not. The Tet Offensive made America seem vulnerable for the first time, and the public began to question why this was so.
This was the first war to be fought under such public scrutiny, leading to questions about their country’s involvement and mixed reactions to the returning Vietnam veterans. History is said to be written by the winners, but did anyone truly win this war?
Jenny Coombs
[1] "Television." in The World Book Encyclopedia (Chicago: World Book Inc., 2003) p119.
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