How Media Coverage of the Vietnam War Changed America

The Vietnam War was fought between 1957 and 1975 on the ground in South Vietnam and bordering areas of Cambodia and Laos and in bombing runs over North Vietnam. The Vietnam War is often referred to as the most unpopular American war of the twentieth century. "It concluded with nearly 60,000 American deaths and an estimated 2 to 4 million Vietnamese deaths." Finding out the exact number of life's lost during the conflict is very difficult, the true death toll will probably never be known. During the War reporters and photographers went through a huge change, which changed the style of reporting the war for future journalists. They went  from reporting directly off of press releases and forming happy, optimistic stories to investigative reporting and writing cold, hard truthful stories. The reports coming from Vietnam and the images coming from the front lines did more than just sway public opinion. These images helped bring around the end of the war.