The Media, Nixon and the Crises in Credibility

1. The Media, Nixon and the Crises in Credibility For some, the 1970s marked an irresistible rise of news-media power. The mass media, especially television, not only held up a mirror to society but also became a significant force that shaped the nation’s cultural and political fabric.

2. Today’s Story Vietnam and then Watergate eclipsed the news and the attention of Americans during the 1970s crises in credibility. What impact did these crises have on the media?

3. And the American Media

4. Then…read also about... Watergate And the American Media

5. The Media, Nixon and the Crises in CredibilitlyLearning Objectives • To understand the impact of the media on the Vietnam War. • To understand the impact of the Vietnam War on the media.

6. The Media, Nixon and the Crisis in CredibilityDiscussion Agenda • Reasons for the war • Reporting on the war • Confrontations of the war • Impact of the war on media

7. The Vietnam War • “The march of folly.” Barbara Tuckman

8. “The making of a • quagmire.” • David Halberstam In both Vietnam and Watergate—the essential combatants were not the president and the opposition party or the president and the Congress but the president and the press.

9. Brief History of American Involvement in Vietnam -- how did the United States get caught in this conflict?

10. Brief History of Vietnam: France • Before World War I • Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam were referred to as Indochina • These were all French colonies • The French had control of the colonies until their defeat by Germany in World War II in 1940.

11. Brief History of Vietnam: France • During World War II • French (friend) defeated by Germany (enemy) leaving Vietnam without a functioning government • Germany allows Japan (enemy) • to take control of Vietnam in 1940; • Japan leaves in 1945

12. Brief History of Vietnam: France • After World War II • Germany and Japan defeated • Japan leaves Vietnam • France moves back into Vietnam • Communists in Northern Vietnam fight to get France out

13. Brief History of Vietnam • After World War II • After Japan surrendered, Vietnamese led by Ho Chi Minh, declared independence • U.S. perceived him as • part of an international • movement to spread • communism

14. Brief History of Vietnam: U.S. • After World War II • President Truman responded to Ho Chi Minh by sending 8 transport plans and $15 million to the French

15. Brief History of Vietnam: U.S. • After World War II • President Eisenhower gives the French $40 million and sends advisors

16. Brief History of Vietnam: U.S. • The Domino Theory • “You have a row of dominoes set up. You knock over the first one, and what will happen to the last one in the certainty that it will go over very quickly.”President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1954 If Vietnam fell to communism the dominoes would fall. Cambodia, Burma, Laos, India and finally the United States would be next.

17. Brief History of Vietnam: France • After World War II • French realize they cannot defeat Vietnam and Communists and leave • U.S. feels it can easily defeat this enemy • Vietnam feeling they are fighting for their independence (France, Japan, France again, and now U.S.)

18. Brief History of Vietnam: U.S. • After World War II • U.S. starts paying 80% of cost of war to support the French….Why? • Cold War was heating up • Defeat spread of Communism

19. Brief History of Vietnam: U.S. • President Kennedy sends more than 12,000 troops that eventually cost 58,000 lives

20. Brief History of Vietnam: France • French are defeated at Dien Bien Phu after 55 days of fighting • End of the French Empire • Ended France’s presence in Indochina

21. Brief History of Vietnam: U.S. • Step back to The Geneva Peace Agreement 1954 • Ended hostilities • Divided Vietnam at 17th parallel • Reunification through national elections in 1956

22. Brief History of Vietnam: U.S. President Ngo Dinh Diem • Ignored peace agreement • Refused to hold elections • Launched campaign to wipe out Viet Minh cadres in South • Civil war ensued

23. Brief History of Vietnam: U.S. President Lyndon Johnson • Americanized and escalated the war, increasing U.S. combat strength in Vietnam from 75,000 to 150,000 • Bottom line: we were fighting in a civil war

24. Brief History of Vietnam: U.S. • U.S. press increased from handful to 207 by 1966.

25. The Media, Nixon and the Crises in Credibility • Trust • Trust in the military. • Trust in the presidency. • Trust in the press.

26. A Different Conflict • US. is split about the purpose of the war • Cooperation between the media and military vanished with the Vietnam War

27. Reporting on Vietnam • During the early years of the conflict the press reported the war largely the way the U.S. government wanted it reported

28. Reporting on Vietnam • Fact 1 • From 1945 to 1954 the U.S. spent several billion dollars supporting ruthless French colonialism in Vietnam, but the public was never informed of this

29. Reporting on Vietnam • Fact 2 • 1954 to 1964, Washington assumed full responsibility for maintaining S. Vietnamese right-wing dictatorships, but the public neither read nor heard a word about this major policy commitment

30. Reporting on Vietnam • Fact 3 • 1965 the U.S. began massive buildups of ground forces, but Americans were told they were merely a small support force

31. Reporting on Vietnam • Fact 4 • Press knew the real nature of the escalation but felt it was in the national interest to keep this information from the public

32. Reporting on Vietnam • Fact 5 • Reporters were expected to get on the team--to share the military’s view of the war and its progress

33. Reporting on Vietnam • Fact 6 • The press censored the worst of the war, saying almost nothing about massive bombings of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, U-S sponsored torture, dumping of 12 million tons of Agent Orange

34. Reporting on Vietnam • Fact 7 • Editorial writers and commentators were supportive of U.S. efforts in Indochina until the very last years of the war

35. Reporting on Vietnam • Early war coverage played a supportive role • Reporters were dubbed the “Saigon Press Corps”

36. Confrontations • Press v. military • Press v. public • Press v. Government

37. Press v. Press • One group saw the war as a necessary evil, the other took a more activist role in probing the humaneness of military action.

38. Reporting on Vietnam • Time magazine criticized its colleagues who criticized the war

39. Journalists Wrote About… • Military deliberately falsified information • Military withheld information detrimental to the continued belief in eventual success of U.S. policies

40. Press v. Public • Morley Safer’s “Burning of Village of Cam Ne” • Harrison Salisbury’s “Reports from the Belly of the Beast”

41. Morley Safer • “Burning of Cam Ne” • First time the public learns that something is wrong in Vietnam

42. Morley Safer • “Film was too realistic” • U.S. soldiers should not be criticized • Presentation was one-sided

43. Harrison Salisbury • First to obtain visa to visit North Vietnam • Observations contradicted claims of U.S. bombing program’s success • Americans questioned the credibility of the press

44. Press v. Public • Public flogs the press • Tet Offensive

46. Press vs. Government Walter Cronkite half-hour special, reported that the war didn’t work, in increase in troop strength would not turn it around and that the U.S. should think of a way to get out. President Johnson

47. President Nixon

48. Press v. Government • Military/Government blame media for loss of undeclared war by swaying public opinion

49. Press v. Government • President Nixon fought back using Vice President Spiro Agnew • First time a ranking federal official made direct attacks on those reporting and commenting on the news

50. Press v. Government • Attack 1: • “Networks and newspapers exercised too powerful an influence over public opinion”