War Press
did the mainstream press go from supporting the Vietnam War to opposing it?
When the Second Indochina (Vietnam) War started in May 1954 (one of the state dates used by historians. The others are July 1956, December 1959, June 1960 and the date used by the US military is February 1961 as "when the first US serviceman was killed in Vietnam". Actually seven others had been killed between 1957 and 1961) the press, both in Vietnam and back in the US (and Australia) were supportive of the US involvement but very quickly the newsmen working in the illegally created (under international law and the "1954 Geneva Agreements on Indochina") Republic of South Vietnam started to question the US role. Unfortunately the news editors in the US and Australia changed the reports to be supportive, not negative.
Slowly the news editors in both the US and Australia started taking notice of what the newsmen in Laos and Vietnam were writing and allowed some critical pieces to be used.
It was not until after the TET offensive of 1968 that the US media at home started to use greater and more accurate reports, especially after Walter Cronkite, the Conservative CBS anchorman who had supported the US involvement went to Vietnam, spoke with ordinary soldiers and returned to the US with an opposite view. From being supportive, he became an avid opponent of the US involvement.
It was not until late 1969 that the media at home in Australia started to change.
Edit: Again there seems to be someone who has no understanding of history giving "thumbs down" to accurate answers.
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 1962 UPI PRESS PHOTO RUSSIAN CARGO SHIP HAVANA COLD WAR $24.99 Time Remaining: 4h 13m |
 1966 Press Photo President Johnson Ignores Anti War Demonstrators in Honolulu $9.99 Time Remaining: 6h 37m |
 1940 Press Photo Life aboard a Canadian Troopship bound for the war $9.99 Time Remaining: 6h 37m |
 1974 Press Photo Israeli Prisoner Middle East War POW $13.88 Time Remaining: 6h 39m Buy It Now for only: $13.88 |
 1945 Press Photo Ernie Pyle War Correspondent Killed in Pacific $9.99 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 6h 40m |
 1973 Press Photo World War II gas shortage A B stamp $13.88 Time Remaining: 6h 41m Buy It Now for only: $13.88 |
 1943 Press Photo ford motors co war and defence work g $18.88 Time Remaining: 6h 41m Buy It Now for only: $18.88 |
 1940 Press Photo James River Cargo Ships Retired War $18.88 Time Remaining: 6h 41m Buy It Now for only: $18.88 |
 1992 Press Photo Sullivan Brothers War Honored Juneau $13.88 Time Remaining: 6h 42m Buy It Now for only: $13.88 |
 1943 Press Photo Sullivans to tour war plants $18.88 Time Remaining: 6h 45m Buy It Now for only: $18.88 |
 1961 Press Photo Tallullah Bankhead John Magruder General cap Civil War Hall $9.99 Time Remaining: 6h 53m |
 1952 Press Photo Retreat direction Marine General Smith Korean War Drama $24.88 Time Remaining: 9h 17m Buy It Now for only: $24.88 |
 1973 Press Photo Drug War Suspected Killer Of 47 People Fred Gomez Carrasco $24.88 Time Remaining: 9h 30m Buy It Now for only: $24.88 |
 1964 Press Photo World War IILt James L Waver Elmhurst $24.88 Time Remaining: 9h 37m Buy It Now for only: $24.88 |
 1963 Press Photo Operation Timber Line Alaska War Games $24.88 Time Remaining: 9h 39m Buy It Now for only: $24.88 |
 1968 Press Photo 15 Year Old Prisoner of War $24.88 Time Remaining: 9h 39m Buy It Now for only: $24.88 |
 1971 Press Photo Audie Murphy Most Decorated War Hero Missing Plane $9.99 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 11h 6m |
 1966 Press Photo Emory University Students Joe Moore Wayne Wood Vietnam War $9.99 Time Remaining: 12h 27m |
 1965 Press Photo War India Pakistan Refugees Chhamb $19.88 Time Remaining: 14h 8m Buy It Now for only: $19.88 |
 1991 Press Photo US Iraqis Protest Persian Gulf War $19.88 Time Remaining: 14h 9m Buy It Now for only: $19.88 |
 1987 Press Photo Greek Chicago Turkish War Downtown $19.88 Time Remaining: 14h 10m Buy It Now for only: $19.88 |
 1970 Press Photo Pro and Anti War Demonstrators Clash $19.88 Time Remaining: 14h 11m Buy It Now for only: $19.88 |
 1969 Press Photo William Calley American War Criminal $19.88 Time Remaining: 14h 12m Buy It Now for only: $19.88 |
 1962 Press Photo Sabry War Prime Minister Egypt Vice $19.88 Time Remaining: 14h 19m Buy It Now for only: $19.88 |
 1937 Press Photo General Hugh Johnson Officer World war $19.88 Time Remaining: 14h 21m Buy It Now for only: $19.88 |
 1965 Press Photo President Johnson On Vietnam War $19.88 Time Remaining: 14h 27m Buy It Now for only: $19.88 |
 1950 Press Photo US Army Korean War $19.88 Time Remaining: 14h 37m Buy It Now for only: $19.88 |
 1971 Press Photo Middle East War On Gaza Strip $19.88 Time Remaining: 14h 39m Buy It Now for only: $19.88 |
 1971 Press Photo Anna Chennault Widow Of World War II G $19.88 Time Remaining: 14h 48m Buy It Now for only: $19.88 |
 1936 Press Photo Alice Montague War Field Rasin Allen $19.88 Time Remaining: 14h 52m Buy It Now for only: $19.88 |
 1992 Press Photo John Hancock star Love War CBS program $19.88 Time Remaining: 14h 52m Buy It Now for only: $19.88 |
 1998 Press Photo Larry Hagman Patrick Duffy Dallas War $19.88 Time Remaining: 14h 54m Buy It Now for only: $19.88 |
 1945 Press Photo Work Past Four War Job End Labour $18.88 Time Remaining: 17h 6m Buy It Now for only: $18.88 |
 1953 Press Photo War Crimean $18.88 Time Remaining: 17h 16m Buy It Now for only: $18.88 |
 1944 Press Photo United States Prosecution War Criminal $18.88 Time Remaining: 17h 18m Buy It Now for only: $18.88 |
 1955 US Far East Propaganda War Press Photo $11.33 Time Remaining: 17h 30m Buy It Now for only: $11.33 |
 1965 Press Photo CR Russell Vietnam War Vet Return $18.88 Time Remaining: 17h 38m Buy It Now for only: $18.88 |
 1965 Press Photo VietNam War $18.88 Time Remaining: 17h 38m Buy It Now for only: $18.88 |
 1966 Vietnam War Hanoi Hannah Press Photo $9.53 Time Remaining: 17h 38m Buy It Now for only: $9.53 |
 1946 Press Photo World War Decoration Army officer Will $18.88 Time Remaining: 17h 39m Buy It Now for only: $18.88 |
 1988 Press Photo August Final World War Aircraft Bomb $13.88 Time Remaining: 17h 40m Buy It Now for only: $13.88 |
 1983 Press Photo Army World War 2 Care $13.88 Time Remaining: 17h 40m Buy It Now for only: $13.88 |
 1990 Press Photo World War II veterans $13.88 Time Remaining: 17h 41m Buy It Now for only: $13.88 |
 1961 Press Photo President Kennedy with World War II E $18.88 Time Remaining: 17h 41m Buy It Now for only: $18.88 |
 1990 Press Photo Earhard Dahm Russian Trees World War $13.88 Time Remaining: 17h 42m Buy It Now for only: $13.88 |
 1978 Press Photo Jesse Louis Jackson Nazi World War $13.88 Time Remaining: 17h 43m Buy It Now for only: $13.88 |
 1961 Press Photo Front in World War I The Heavy Branc $18.88 Time Remaining: 17h 44m Buy It Now for only: $18.88 |
 1965 Press Photo Christmas War Veterans American Legion $18.88 Time Remaining: 18h 25m Buy It Now for only: $18.88 |
 1981 Press Photo Al Rosati Korean War $21.00 Time Remaining: 18h 36m Buy It Now for only: $21.00 |
 1940 Press Photo William S Knudsen war production Army $24.00 Time Remaining: 18h 39m Buy It Now for only: $24.00 |