This Memorial Day is a particularly special one for two reasons: we are at war in Iraq and the memorial for the World War II generation is being dedicated on the national mall. Those Americans who stood fast against Fascist forces in World War II have been dubbed the "Greatest Generation." Now there will always be arguments about what constitutes the "greatest." How does the WW II generation compare to the generation of our Revolutionary War period? How about the 600,000 who died during the American Civil War? It is the sort of question that historians love to argue about. However, it is clear that part of what made the WW II era so unique was the sense of unity and commonality of purpose. There were sincere disagreements, whether to devote more resources to the war in Europe or to the Pacific theater. However, such disagreements never devolved to disarray and self doubt. Coverage by the press played an important role in maintaining this unity.
During WW II reporters often accompanied troops. Reporters saw their role in winning the war as consistent with their roles as reporters. It is no accident that press coverage was more favorable in the Iraq War when the journalists were embedded with the troops and implicitly shared the same experiences. While embedded in both wars, journalists were censored about details of time and location. However, during WW II, there were conscious efforts on the part of reporters to publish images of the war that did not undermine morale at home. That is part of the reason that you saw images of a flag raising at Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima. It is not that there was a deliberate effort at distortion, to put only an heroic face on the war. Rather there was the realization that context and perspective were important and that graphic images of carnage might distort perspective. Appropriate selection of images and stories were seen as necessary for fidelity to the truth, not as an evasion of the facts.
Words are very powerful and can passionately describe events. However, images have a unique ability to capture an emotion or situation that can serve as a permanent and poignant metaphor for good or for ill. Moreover, during any war there are many images showing pain and joy, viciousness and valor, despondency and elation, anger and compassion. The images that are selected for broadcast and publication can serve to frame the political debate.
