Author Question: What effect did the events surrounding the Vietnam War and Watergate have on the news media and ... (Read 71 times)

ahriuashd · **on:** Jul 10, 2018

What effect did the events surrounding the Vietnam War and Watergate have on the news media and their relationship to politics and the American people? Assess whether this was a good development.

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, some commentators speculated on the reasons why the government was so slow in coming to the aid of victims, notably African Americans who lived in the poverty-stricken lower Ninth Ward.

What may have been their reason for doing so?

What will be an ideal response?

moormoney · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 10, 2018

Answer to Question 1

An ideal response will:
1, Note that like radio in WWII, TV brought the Vietnam War and the events of Watergate directly into the homes of Americans.
2,Discuss how the coverage of these events, by exposing governmental naivet and outright lying regarding the conduct of the war as well as shining light on the power abuses by President Nixon during Watergate, destroyed the deference that the media and the public had traditionally extended to political leaders and their policy choices.

Answer to Question 2

An ideal response will:
1, Explain that commentators likely assumed that African Americans in Louisiana were less likely to vote, although the difference in turnout rates between whites and blacks in Louisiana has been relatively small in recent years.