Television

The Vietnam War was the first war to be televised throughout America. Millions of households were glued to their televisions to see planes flying, bombs dropping, and troops dying. The war was so over analyzed and all over news networks, that Americans started to turn against the war and politics all together. Effect of Television on Development and Outcome The images of the brutality of war brought "the horrors of war" front and center to the peoples televisions night in and night out. The argument has often been made that any war reported in an unrestricted way by television would eventually lose public support. Researchers, however, have quite consistently told another story. With the reporting style, the Vietnam War quickly became America's least popular war to date. Brutality and Horrors There were, to be sure, occasions when television did deliver images of violence and suffering. In August 1965, after a series of high-level discussions which illustrate the unprecedented character of the story, CBS aired a report by Morley Safer which showed Marines lighting the thatched roofs of the village of Cam Ne with Zippo lighters, and included critical commentary on the treatment of the villagers. This story could never have passed the censorship of World War II or Korea, and it generated an angry reaction from Lyndon Johnson.

A major contributor to television and broadcasting of the war was anchor and journalist Walter Cronkite. Cronkite was known as "the most trusted man in America" for is fair, balanced, and honest style of broadcasting. During the Vietnam War, Cronkite was a major contributor in reporting on the aftermath of the Tet Offensive. Upon returning to America, Cronkite wrote a report titled, "Report from Vietnam: Who, What, When, Where, Why?" In the report, Cronkite writes:

"For it seems now more certain than ever that the bloody experience of Vietnam is to end in a stalemate. This summer's almost certain standoff will either end in real give-and-take negotiations or terrible escalation; and for every means we have to escalate, the enemy can match us, and that applies to invasion of the North, the use of nuclear weapons, or the mere commitment of one hundred, or two hundred, or three hundred thousand more American troops to the battle. And with each escalation, the world comes closer to the brink of cosmic disaster. To say that we are closer to victory today is to believe, in the face of the evidence, the optimists who have been wrong in the past. To suggest we are on the edge of defeat is to yield to unreasonable pessimism. To say that we are mired in stalemate seems the only realistic, yet unsatisfactory, conclusion. On the off chance that military and political analysts are right, in the next few months we must test the enemy's intentions, in case this is indeed his last big gasp before negotiations. But it is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out then will be to negotiate, not as victors, but as an honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy, and did the best they could." Also, before the end of a newscast, the anchor would say the death toll numbers of the day. Some days, the numbers would climb to the hundreds. __** Network Television **__

Network television played a vital role in American life during the war era. It gave a place for the people to get away from the social and economic problems in America at the time.

__**Sitcoms**__- sitcoms are comedic performances intended to create situation humor and awkward situations that the characters must resolve by the end of the program.

A groundbreaking sitcom that tells the story of a blue collar, bigoted man who constantly argues with his families liberal views and social issues of the time. Debuting on CBS in early 1971 to April 1979, the show followed a conservative loud mouth character Archie Bunker, who (for the time) was the most edgy character in television history. Bunker was very outspoken on issues that were "near unsuitable for network tv" such as racism, homosexuality, women's rights, rape, miscarriage, incompetence (mostly towards Democrats), and the Vietnam War. Throughout the nine season, Bunker would antagonize his family, especially is wife, Edith. During the shows, Archie would often refer to her as "dingbat" (slang term for silly), his son-in-law Mike Stivic as "meathead". Edith is the sweet and understanding character with a heart of gold, but however, is a bit naive. Michael is a bit of a hippie-liberal, is a part of the 'counterculture' movement. Mike, being the liberal, and Archie, being the conservative, often clashed between their religious, political, and social beliefs. Archie's daughter, Gloria, is married to Michael, and his often caught in the middle of Archie and her husbands arguments, but often took Mike's side as she is a liberal as well. From years 1971-1976, All in the Family became the first show in television history to top the Nielsen rating for 5 consecutive years.
 * All in the Family **

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