The Typewriter or the Sword: The Impact of Independent Reporting on the Public Opinion of the Vietnam War

Abstract

This Senior Project will examine the impacts of reports by independent journalists during the Vietnam War on the changes of public opinion in the United States in the 1960's. Reports coming from Vietnam caused them to raise questions about both the Government's official statements on Vietnam as well as the nature of war, inspiring the wide-spread anti-war movement that pushed to change American foreign policy concerning Vietnam and the end of the war. Research included how World War II was reported compared to the Vietnam War and used different reporters and their articles and experiences from throughout the war as well as public opinion polls for American citizens to examine independent reporting's true impact.