National Press Corps Director: Sam Zeidman - Institute for Domestic ...

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R u t g e r s Mo d e l C o n g r e s s 15 “Uncensored War” because it was the first ‘television war’ in which the public could witness a modern conflict. Even though the Vietnam War was the first ‘televised war’ and brought about a new age in reporting international conflicts, it also brought about what is known as the “Vietnam Syndrome.” This phenomenon illustrates the crisis through which the U.S. government struggled to be able to have some control over what the media was able to report. The events of the Vietnam War and the development of the Vietnam Syndrome led to the use of the Mobile Reporting Team (MRT) idea, which embedded reporters with the troops on the ground during the fight. 47 The second example deals with the media propaganda during wartime. Ever since 1914, governments around the world have attempted to resolve the problem of losing popular support for military action. During the First World War, the media was kept far away from actual conflict, and was fed information directly from the state. Not surprisingly, these reports indicated that the war was progressing and that it was a necessary effort to achieve important foreign policy goals. In so doing, the government ensured that its version of the war was the one that could be found in the newspapers, maintaining favorable public support for the conflict. 48 47 Ibid 75 48 Ibid 69
R u t g e r s Mo d e l C o n g r e s s 16 Summary Throughout its evolutionary history, mass media has played a dominant role in influencing governmental decisions around the world. The sphere of influence that it has created through the five stages of its evolution continues to grow, allowing the media more access to individuals, and to important global events. The development of the press has changed the way people, especially the citizens of the United States, view and think about issues that face the country because media organizations tend to ‘tell’ what the audience should and should not think about, instead of letting the people decide on their own. In today’s society, mass media plays a significant role in how people view and interpret many of the major issues that are important. The challenge that both the media and the American public face is to what extent they are willing to let the reporting of the news determine what events are important. Only once the populace allows news agencies to become proxies for their own inquisitiveness will the media have truly asserted its influence over them. Equally, only once the news agencies can provide the sort of news reporting that is both credible and timely, will its audience allow it to become a truly accepted and trusted medium. As these two processes converge, a veritable dialogue is taking place between the American public and the press, negotiating the extent to which each entity will control or influence the other.
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National Press Corps Director: Sam Zeidman - Institute for Domestic ...

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