The media played a critical role during the Vietnam War. It was the one source of information that enlightened the US citizens on the developments on the war front by presenting graphic news coverage which greatly influenced the perceptions of the citizenry with regard to the war. Most people believe that at that time journalism was actively involved in either supporting or opposing the war. During the initial stages of the war, the US government greatly controlled information and managed the source of information of many news agencies. This prompted the media to seek for alternative sources of information. At this time most journalists focused their attention not on calling press conferences but by performing research, interviews and writing analytical essays. Most American citizens were able to keep pace with the developments in the war since most of them had television sets in their homes. It is in this regard that the media played a role in shaping public opinion with respect to the Vietnam War. Most journalists who visited Vietnam to cover the war only focused on the negative aspects of the war and increased fears to the American people with the worst of the war. Most media houses painted a bad picture of Vietnam and blamed it for the war. The government and the media gave different perspectives of the war. On one hand the government tried to portray the war as being glorious and optimistic while the media did the opposite. 1 These differing views from the government and the media were accessible to American citizens who began to perceive the difference in which the war was being portrayed.
The media helped citizens to know the true picture of the war and its political implications. This situation made most Americans to feel as if their government was betraying them by not being told the truth about the war. This made the public to put pressure on the government to end the war. There were also periods where .the media and the government failed to convey important information regarding the warfront. One such instance is the Tet Offensive that happened in 1968 in which the Vietnamese govern made the mistake of that undertaking assaults on the American soldiers would help them gain public support. The Vietnamese troops made the fatal mistake of attacking the American force and underwent a huge loss in which about 60,000 of their soldiers were killed within a month. However, this unfortunate event was never conveyed to the American people. Nonetheless, there were disturbing photos, fatalists’ statements and television imageries that fueled a propaganda war that claimed victory in Hanoi. However, important victories by the Vietnamese were largely obscured.
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Most servicemen including sailors, airmen, veterans and soldiers were against the war. By 1971, most soldiers started disobeying orders and this prompted the military to be unable to continue fighting the war. Underground newspapers GIs, which were published and distributed around military bases, were used to spread the antiwar propaganda in a clandestine manner. It is estimated that about 300 such newspapers were published during the whole length of the war. However, not many of them survived for longer periods of time. This was because of the huge turnover of active duty soldiers who kept on moving in and out of Vietnam. Among notable newspapers which were found in the Pacific Northeast included papers such as “Fed Up!”, “Counterpoint”, “GI Voice” and the “Lewis McChord Free Press” 2 .
Many citizen pressure groups started to emerge which called for an end to the Vietnam War. These also included groups of students whose perception of the war was negative. There were many rallies and demonstrations which called for an end to the war. Some of these demonstrations went out of hand where students started smashing bank which they believed were beneficiaries of the war. It is noteworthy to observe that most of these antiwar movements were also advocating for other interests such as civil rights, social change and union recognition. Civil rights activism played a pivotal role in the emergence of the antiwar movement during the Vietnam War era. War veterans and soldiers viewed their antiwar activities as part of larger ideals including student activism, anti-racialism and aspects of black power. It was also during this time that the Seattle women’s movement was established which was very prominent in the fight against the use of nuclear weapons in the 1980s.
It is in this regard, therefore, that the role of media became prominent given the level of enlighten and information it provided to the public. The media was use as a tool to shape the perceptions and views of the public with respect to the war. The information provided by media houses and other clandestine information sources empowered the public to develop their own perspectives of the war in a time that factual information was scanty and misleading. This information gave rise to antiwar sentiments which also touched on other areas in the social fabric in America. The public became aware of the effect the war was having in the country and also how America was viewed in the international sphere. The information and coverage provided by the media did not only have an effect on the home front alone but also on the war front. Most soldiers and war veterans who were involved in the war were influenced by the media to call for an end to the war through deserting and disobeying their seniors on the war front. It is therefore, true to say that the media played a major role in influencing the Americans to end the war 3 .
The Effect of the Kent State Shooting on the War and Politicians
The Kent State University shooting that occurred in 1970 triggered mixed reactions with respect to the Vietnam War. Most university students were against the war with a few of them supporting the invasion. However, the mainstream opinion at the time was an end to the war. Some students believed that the war was winnable and that the US could not just move in a country and leave it in a worse situation than it found it. The antiwar sentiment in the student fraternity was overwhelming with most students calling to an end of the war. In the unfortunate event of 1970 four students of the Kent State University were killed by members of the Ohio National guard. The guards opened fire to a crowd of protesting students who were demonstrating against the Vietnam War. This was a sad day for America, a country that was divided by the conflict in Vietnam. The events that followed saw the closure of universities and colleges in the whole country 4 .
Most political observers war of the view that that particular incident shaped the opinions of the public which reinforced their resolve for an end to the war. Most believe that this event might have resulted into the fall of President Richard Nixon. The civil war in Vietnam which pitted the northern part of the country that was regarded as communist and the southern part which was more democratic was a controversial war from the onset. Public opinion in America was against such a war. President Nixon was elected as president partly because he promised Americans that he would end the Vietnam War. However, during his term, he authorized US troops to invade Cambodia which he believed was offering safe haven for Vietnamese troops. The decision was made unilaterally without consultations with the relevant authorities. Politicians at that time accused the president of widening the scope of the war without consulting them. This is the main cause that resulted into the events that occurred in Kent State 5 .
The other notable thing about the Kent State shooting is that it revived the racial relation issues that were existent in the social fabric in America at that time. Most students who were black refused to participate in the demonstrations not because they supported the war but because they believed that the police would shoot them if they dared to do so. Even though this social aspect was taken lightly, it was an eye-opener of the type of society America really was. It gave insights into the social, political aspects of the American society and how it handled racial relations. It also revealed how minorities in America perceived the country and how they felt left out in major decisions that affected their lives. The incident also revealed how the American people were concern with the state of affairs in their country and how they can react if they feel that the country is heading in the wrong direction. Most historians believe that this particular event could as well have caused a revolution 6 .
The shootings which resulted into the death of American students and wounding of several others was a turning point in the antiwar movement. Historians and documentarians were captivated by the turn of events caused by this particular incidence that influenced what happened in this day. The place that the incidence took place became a location of pilgrimage for people were affected by the series of events. This included family members, victims, social activists and war veterans 7 .
They visit the place every year in commemoration of the event. Studies have also been conducted which include the actions of the guardsmen, the reaction of the government, and the role of the demonstrators in the event. However, as previously stated was the reaction of the general populace on the role of race in the whole saga. The narrative of black Americans in this whole saga was not underscored who were on the forefront of the campus movement. The movement greatly impacted on the level in which black African American students participated in the Kent state University demonstrations during the antiwar movement. Some alumni believe that the actions demonstrated by the black campus movement played a major role in preventing violence being meted out on students of color in the Kent shooting incidence. There were high tension in race relations at this time which gave rise to the black movement power. This was a radical social movement that took over from the void left by the promises given by many civil rights movements.
Most analysts and historical commentators have failed to dedicate much attention to the impact that the anti war sentiments had on race. It is, therefore imperative to explore this area and detail this period which does not touch the black experience and his views regarding the war and how it impacted on his life in general.
The question of radicalization also comes to mind when one thinks about the Kent state shootings. Most students and the general populace started to have interest in the politics of the day due to this incidence. Many started to enlighten themselves by getting in the know by learning all aspects of national and international politics. It was a time that individuals began to ask themselves questions regarding the politics of their country in comparison to other nations. This then made more people to become involved in the politics of their country and this gave an impetus to the civil rights movements which hitherto was dead. It was a moment of political awakening 8 .
Protests started at Kent State University a day after the invasion. The Kent State shooting in America remains symbolic of the division in public opinion regarding the Vietnam War. This event transformed the activist movement across America’s political landscape that increased a sense of disillusionment with respect to the goals to be achieved by protests and the fear that there was always the prospect of protesters clashing with law enforcement agencies.
Bibliography
CBSN. Speaking out: Kent State photographer on iconic photo. (May 4, 2016). You Tube Video. 6.21 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxBZj_eo44A
CBS Evening News . On this day: Four killed in Kent State shooting . (May, 2016). You Tube Video. 2 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmd6CHah7Wg
Filo, John Paul. Kent State shooting picture . 1970
History . Kent State Shooting . Retrieved from: https://www.history.com/topics/kent-state-Shooting .
Kent State University. The May 4 Shootings at Kent State University: The Search for Historical Accuracy.
Rambo, Constance. Interview with Mark Maedeker about the Kent State Shooting. 2006. C. Rambo, M. Maedeker, C.T. Evans. 2011.
1 Kent State University. The May 4 Shootings at Kent State University: The Search for Historical Accuracy
2 History . Kent State Shooting . Retrieved from: https://www.history.com/topics/kent-state-Shooting
3 History . Kent State Shooting . Retrieved from: https://www.history.com/topics/kent-state-Shooting .
4 Rambo, Constance. Interview with Mark Maedeker about the Kent State Shooting. 2006. C. Rambo, M. Maedeker, C.T. Evans. 2011.
5 CBS Evening News . On this day: Four killed in Kent State shooting . (May, 2016). You Tube Video. 2 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmd6CHah7Wg
6 History . Kent State Shooting . Retrieved from: https://www.history.com/topics/kent-state-Shooting .
7 CBSN. Speaking out: Kent State photographer on iconic photo. (May 4, 2016). You Tube Video. 6.21 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxBZj_eo44A
8 Kent State University. The May 4 Shootings at Kent State University: The Search for Historical Accuracy.
