Rethinking American Press Coverage Of The Vietnam War, 1965–68

Abstract

Many scholars and other observers of U.S. press coverage of the Vietnam War have criticized the media for showing either too much or too little. Some have charged the press with sensationalizing the wars difficulties, while others have pointed out their reproduction of the official, optimistic viewpoint, particularly before the Tet offensive of early 1968. This article takes the middle ground, accepting and modifying elements of both positions in this highly partisan debate. Using stories from both print and television, it argues that journalists presented disturbing portraits of the American GI and the war before Tet, alongside more optimistic dispatches. Despite common assertions about the shattering effect of the Tet offensive, press coverage of those attacks repeated, albeit in more dramatic and consistent fashion, earlier gestures about the war's dark sides.