Then and Now

The line goes: Why do we learn about history? So we can keep from repeating it. After reading through a majority of Christopher Daly's Covering America, our Future of News class has learned the in-depth history of America's relationship with media. Throughout, it has become painstakingly obvious that many of the situations we face in media today have been encountered in the past. Here, I will compare past vs. present situations beginning with World War II in 1941, faced by journalists that are eerily similar, and attempt to offer my two-cents on what can be learned from history as we attempt to make sense of the quickly changing era of journalism.

Censorship during wartime

Censorship commonly occurs when the United States is facing a drastic international crisis and wants to ensure that morale will remain high on the homefront. Censorship during World War II was headed by the Office of War Information, which was established to "coordinate the dissemination of war information by all federal agencies and to formulate and carry out, by means of the press, radio, and motion pictures, programs designed to facilitate an understanding in the United States and abroad of the progress of the war effort and of the policies, activities, and aims of the Government," (260). They utilized propaganda and Hollywood to popularize acceptance of the war. 

In October 2001, the Patriot Act was passed in response to the September 11th terrorist attacks. The controversial document greatly expanded the rights of the government to investigate citizens and monitor their actions. While it was said to safeguard the country from future terrorist attacks, the Patriot Act took away privacy and freedoms from Americans. Although the Patriot Act did not directly target journalists, it led to self-censorship by promoting unity and patriotism in a time of crisis. 

Censorship in both of these cases took place on the home front.

An example of World War II propaganda that promoted censorship. 

Attacks on America and the resulting expectation of patriotism

On December 7, 1941, Japanese warplanes attacked an American fleet at Pearl Harbor, instigating American involvement in World War II. On September 11, 2001, two airplanes flew into the World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York City in a terrorist attack that started the War on Terror. Censorship of the press has taken place in both wars, mostly to boost morale of the American citizens. In both cases, the censorship is carried out at home. Following 9/11, the Bush Administration also imposed drastic measures to pressure the media to censor coverage by limiting the coverage of anybody who opposed or targeted the war effort. In World War II, this was seen as well. The government examined all material written in newspapers and magazines, according to Daly. Following 9/11, it was common for reporters to support the war effort because they wanted to maintain readership by telling their audience what they wanted to hear. There was a similar atmosphere in 1941. Daly writes, "The government would would appeal to feelings of patriotism among all those in the news media and urge them to shun certain topics in advance; if that failed and sensitive material got out, censors could reveal the names of violators and hope that public disapproval would force them back into line," (263). The point of this censorship was to ensure that positive messages surrounded the war effort.

Hiding Dead Bodies from the American Public

In both World War II and the War on Terror, the government has imposed censorship to prevent the media from displaying dead soldiers to the public. This is done because it was assumed that such images would be bad for civilian morale as well as morale among soldiers, according to Daly. During World War II, photos showing dead American soldiers or sailors were completely banned until 1943, when a famous photo of three dead soldiers on a beach in Papa New Guinea was published in Life magazine. In the Vietnam War, the press was given significant freedom in what they were allowed to publish, and this is notoriously blamed for America's failure in the war. The issue was discussed in a July 2008 New York Times article "4,000 U.S. Deaths, and a handful of photographs." Photographs of Iraq War have rarely been available to the public. The Bush Administration did not permit photos of flag-draped coffins to be published by the media. However, censorship also becomes a matter of safety when it comes to access for journalists and the possibility of accidentally revealing sensitive information. However, opponents of war continue to stipulate that these images are necessary for the public to understand the reality of war. Both then and now, the government has been able to conceal the reality of war in different ways.

Marines who were killed in a suicide bomb attack during a city council meeting in Garma, Iraq, in Anbar Province. This was one of the few photos made available of the Iraq war. Via nytimes.com.

The first photograph of dead American soldiers in World War II, printed in Life Magazine in 1943. 

Fear of the enemy emphasized by media

Following World War II, America entered a period of paranoia resulting from The Cold War and arms race taking place nationally. The fear of communism also ran deep in America, and the problem was exacerbated by senator Joe McCarthy. Daly writes, "That was the genesis of the period and the tragedy known as "McCarthyism," which lasted for almost five years...a little known freshman senator, stumbled across the power of the news media and rode it as long as he could," (296). McCarthy took advantage of the media by constantly commenting and offering his opinion or response to events so that he was in the news far more than others, filling their need for stories while they filled his need for attention. Because of this, the fear of communism spread even wider and came to define an era of panicked citizens.
Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, America experienced a similar fear of a newly invisible enemy: Muslim terrorists. Like the McCarthy era, this fear led to the marginalization of a largely innocent group of people in America. The Al-Queda attacks instigated this fear, but it was prolonged for years afterwards by discrimination. The media played into this fear by giving more attention to negative portrayals of muslims.

Kennedy in 1960 and Obama in 2008: Media Friendly Presidents

An undeniable link between two of the most notable leaders of this generation is their talent with embracing new media to spread their messages to Americans. TV began to spread widely into American homes in the 1950's and was a staple by the 1960 Presidential race between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Nixon opted to remain old-school. However, the rich, witty, good looking Kennedy saw how he could use TV to his advantage in the presidential debates. Daly writes, "It has often been said that Kennedy's performance in the televised debates, in which he could speak to (and be seen by) the voters directly, put him over the top," (316). Similarly, Obama has long been recognized for his ability to utilize the new media of the 21st century: social media. The President uses Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and other forms of media to reach voters. He was incredibly successful in utilizing these techniques to raise campaign funds, engage the youth voters and spread his message. Many credit Obama's use of social media with helping him win the election overall.

President John F. Kennedy broadcasting to the nation.

Mass Media utilized to aid Mass Movements

Mass movements such as the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's or the Gay Rights Movement of our generation could not take place without the help of the media. Daly writes, "Great social upheavals do not just break out. They occur when large numbers of people are ready individually to change the way they act. In order for that to happen, they must first change the way they think. Throughout the entire history of the United States, changes on that scale have depended on messages carried through mass media- newspapers, magazines, radio and television," (309). In the Civil Rights Movement, leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. formed these messages, but it was the media that carried them to the public. Specifically, the black press was pivotal in helping the movement gain its footing and successfully advance the status of African Americans in the United States.
Today, the biggest movement facing the country is the Gay Rights Movement. Advocates for gay marriage and acceptance of the GLBT community are seen leading marches, using campaigns and speaking out for their rights all the time. President Obama made history by mentioning the gay rights struggle in his 2013 inaugural address. The media carried this message to the nation by broadcasting it on TV, talking about it in newspapers, magazines and even discussing it on the radio. Campaigns such as the NO H8 campaign also aid the movement by garnering media attention through celebrity supporters who help broadcast the message. Without journalists to broadcast the message nationwide, the campaign would not have nearly as large of an impact as it boasts today.

A photograph from the NO H8 campaign, a campaign that uses celebrities to advocate for gay rights in America.