Propaganda, Censorship and Wartime Journalism-Issues – Flashcards

-Moral: removal of what is deemed "profane and obscene" -Political: government holds back info from the citizens -Religious: removing material objectionable to faith -Corporate: corporation intervenes in negative media portrayal of their business Military: keeping military intelligence and tactics confidential

Media were tasked with promoting patriotism, conformity and "us" vs "them" mentality and deeming muckraking as unpatriotic. Media propaganda was a crusade for democracy. The radical press lost mailing privileges. During WWI, the Committee on Public Information (Creel Committee) was created to disseminate propaganda and boost morale. Foreign correspondents were sent to report on WWII. WWII was called the "multi-media war" because it was depicted by radio, newspaper. magazines, movies, etc.

France, England and Germany all tried to control what reporters wrote by a variety of means, including jailing uncooperative journalists on espionage charges. France and England later turned to less drastic measures: Required that reporters be properly credentialed and both were stingy in handing out credentials. Military tightly controlled access to the battlefield For the most part, field correspondents were limited to writing features about events on front Were not allowed to go anywhere without military press officers U.S. issued guidelines in May 1917 on what information should be kept secret. Laws were passed to make it illegal to criticize the government The Sedition Act of 1918 specifically curtailed freedom of expression and the press.

Correspondents developed a close relationship with the troops they traveled with, who often saved their lives. The desire to protect those who kept them safe by not painting them in a negative light led to self-censorship by the correspondents.

WWI: Committee on Public Information (CPI) coordinated the media war effort Informed and influenced the press by publishing America's first daily government-produced newspaper, the Official Bulletin Published press releases and news digests for urban and rural papers One project, the Official Film News, created bi-weekly programming that movie theaters showed. WWII: The media had joined the propaganda efforts, unprecedented level of cooperation between military and press Look for examples in text

There was less censorship because the press was too powerful to silence, and we had by and large learned our lesson from WWI that censorship doesn't really work. Media self-censored Media joined in on propaganda to boost morale: unprecedented level of cooperation between media and military

Congress did not want to use the term "war" when working in Vietnam and by controlling the media Congress would be admitting that there was an actual war going on in Vietnam that the US was a part of.

The press was receiving and broadcasting contradicting information, televised the massive failure of the Tet Offensive, and media giant Walter Cronkite spoke out against the war effort. The media's portrayal decreased support for the war back home, and returning soldiers were met with hostility.

The relationship transitioned from a "cheerleader"-esque relationship to one of increased skepticism. Reporters were given contradicting information and the military accused them of being against military efforts.

Vietnam had led to a backlash against the media, so the media was granted limited access during the Gulf War. This increased the tension and distrust between the military and the media.

Television allowed the American public to see the harsh realities of war like never before and gave the technology of live reporting. Each step, from print to radio to television, was an increase in technology that made war more and more real and personable.