C171

C171 Argumentative Essay
Modules C141 and 142 (Media and the Military)

  Lessons learned in military history clearly demonstrate that the media has become an integral part of

military planning.   For leaders , knowing how to engage the media in an effective manner helps increase

the chances for success in military operations.   Modules C141, Introduction to the Media and C142,

Media Panel Presentation, provide an historical perspective on understanding why a good relationship

with the media is important for military leaders and also give valuable guidelines on how to prepare to

engage the media effectively.

  Up until the Vietnam War the ability of the media to impact military planning and operations was

somewhat limited due to available technology.   Advances in technology during the sixties and into the

early seventies changed the face of how the media reported news and significantly impacted the

military media relationship.   With the advent of almost live television broadcasts and the ability of the

media to record events as they happen, war was brought to the living room of the American public in a

way it had never experienced before.   The public was able to see disturbing images of war almost as

they were happening, for many this was difficult to handle.  

  As the American public became more aware of the rising casualty count which was reported on the

nightly news, support for US engagement in the Vietnam War declined.   A large segment of the

American public felt the war in Vietnam was wrong and the US military did not belong in the conflict.  

Many veterans of the war came home not to a hero’s welcome but to a public that scorned them.  

  With returning war veterans being viewed as killers by the American public and some military leaders

blaming the media for the loss of the war the stage was set for a tumultuous relationship between the

military and media for the many years that...