Media's Role In The Vietnam War

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VIETNAM FACT SHEET

Vietnam holds a close relationship to the Domino Theory, at least in America’s eyes around the 1950s. The Domino Theory is presumably what the U.S. government used as justification for their involvement in the Vietnam War, stemming from our support for a non-communist dictatorship in South Vietnam. The Tet Offensive was a collaborate decision between the North Vietnamese soldiers to attack more than a 100 cities and outposts in South Vietnam. Led by North Vietnamese military commander General Vo Nguyen Giap, these soldiers’ main goal was to surprise attack isolated American garrisons and break the stalemate in Vietnam. They hoped for widespread rebellion among the South Vietnamese and though they ultimately didn’t achieve just that, it proved to be a strategic success for the North Vietnamese for it proved the war wasn’t over just yet. The escalation of powers can really only be characterized simply as an increase in large-scale combat forces from the allied forces and the U.S. Tying with …show more content…

In many aspects, the media’s negative tone to the war took a toll in undermining support for the war all together. Many other as well thought that the over exposure of war issues provided the other side with valuable information. Another aspect though was the credibility gap. This was public skepticism about Lyndon B. Johnson administration’s statements on the Vietnam War. There was a disconnect between the people and the government, so it was difficult to know what to believe. Then there was the silent majority and this was basically the grand majority of people who had opinions but didn’t voice them. The anti-war movement in the other hand was those who did their hardest to voice their opinion as loud as they could. Although small at first, he antiwar movement developed into an unstoppable force. So much so until pressuring American leaders to reconsider its