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The Media and The Vietnam War, Part II

© John Lovett

Television brought the brutality of war Into the comfort of the living room. Vietnam was lost in the living rooms of America - - not on the battlefields of Vietnam. - - Marshall McLuhan, 1975

After having written my first article in this series, I had my hand figuratively slapped in an e-mail sent by Dr. (COL) Frank Stech. Author of Winning CNN Wars (http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usawc/param... he has written several excellent articles dealing with the soldier, the state, and warfare. In his e-mail he states, "The real reasons for the emotion - laden feelings and perceptions go beyond the media and the military." Yes, true. He chides this author because, in his terms, the article "simply reinforces the stereotypes and perceptions that cloud a deeper appreciation of the history and reality." Of this, I respectfully take an opposing view. Perhaps I am playing to stereotypes of the perceptions of the relationships between the media and the Vietnam War, or any war for that matter, but all stereotypes have an element of truth.

To this element of truth I cite Lies, Deceit and Hypocrisy. Written by Kristian Kahrs in May 1997 (http://home.no.net/kkahrs/vietnam.htm), it explores how the press, embodied by New York Times reporter David Halberstan and aided by LTC Paul Vann, changed from its original supporting posture in 1962 to one of pessimism by 1963. Mitigating this wind change was the Battle of Ap Bac which occurs in June 1962. In this battle, Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) troops while having a significant advantage in weapons and troops suffered a defeat. But, having little understanding or appreciation of the intricacies of Vietnamese politics Vann and Halberstan reported the news to the American public as Saigon troops avoiding conflict. This reporting itself played into the stereotypes of the Vietnamese people already held by the American people.

I believe our visual media presentation of our involvement in Vietnam reflected more on who we are as Americans and not so much as the "news" being shot there. Notice the difference in perceptions of these two countries. The nation we were ostensibly fighting for had no respect for itself. Consequently, as a nation through our media we had no respect for it. Conversely, our perception of the north led us to believe that somehow, just maybe, they could be "sort of" the good guys. However, as North Vietnam was a communist country they could not be the good guys. So, a schizophrenia of sorts grew up in how we perceived ourselves and our involvement in the war.

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