The media after Tet

polzin lindsay m (lmpolz@mail.wm.edu)
Tue, 5 Nov 1996 10:13:20 -0500

Hi-
My name is Lindsay and I'm a sophomore at the College of William
and Mary. I'm doing a research paper entitled "Did the media lose the
war in Vietnam?" From what I've gathered, the media (written and
electronic) turned anti-government after the Tet Offensive and the visit
of Walter Cronkite. However, there was still a silent faction of society
that emphatically endorsed the war. My opinion is that the media did not
lose the war, but bad military tactics and strategies did. My question
lies in how much media influenced the military itself. Not the
governmental leaders who developed the strategies, but the actual men and
women out in Vietnam carrying out these orders. Did the negative press
back home affect anyone personally? Do you think it contributed to the
demoralization of American troops? And, did you notice a significant
change in attitude after Tet? To those who were not in the military:
how did the media affect your role at home? Did it sway you to protest
or did you become one of the silent faction? I'm sorry if this topic has
been well covered, but I obviously didn't live through it to have
personal feelings of my own. I've read the books and articles and I know
the facts, but I am more interested in feelings and personal responses to
what the media portrayed as happening. Any thoughts or insights you may
have would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your time,

Lindsay Polzin
lmpolz@mail.wm.edu