Hiroshima Bombing Research Paper
American Media Coverage of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombings
On August 6, 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped over the city of Hiroshima in Japan, to be followed by a second bomb over the city of Nagasaki, three days later, by the American military.
The fatal consequences of the dropping the world’s first atomic bombs (with power equivalent to 20,000 tons of TNT explosives) over these cities, the mass destruction and loss of life, both short term as well as long term was magnanimous. The reportage of this event, especially in the American media, thus is a reflection of the sensibilities of the press at that time, specifically in times of war. The understanding of the positions that the press took, however, must be made in context of the information that was provided by the government and individual stands of various papers with respect to the bombings as a means to end the war.
The bomb that was dropped on the city of Hiroshima on 6 august was the first atomic bomb in the world. Not only did this bomb signify mass scale destruction, but it also ushered in an era of nuclear warfare. Thus this in itself was a historic event for the entire world, more so for …show more content…
An important omission, which is observed in the release, is the absolute exclusion of radiation as a side effect of nuclear weaponry. The long term effects that this radiation would have on the human population are completely overshadowed by the hailing of the atomic bomb as the “greatest, most revolutionary” weapon that the world has seen. Mitchell writes in this regard, that “The government (and the military in particular) also attempted to squelch or refute reports about the effects of the atomic bombs on humans, especially the devastating and lingering impact of radiation. Instead, the government attempted to focus media attention on descriptions of the initial blasts and the effects of the atomic bombs on inanimate
On August 6, 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped over the city of Hiroshima in Japan, to be followed by a second bomb over the city of Nagasaki, three days later, by the American military.
The fatal consequences of the dropping the world’s first atomic bombs (with power equivalent to 20,000 tons of TNT explosives) over these cities, the mass destruction and loss of life, both short term as well as long term was magnanimous. The reportage of this event, especially in the American media, thus is a reflection of the sensibilities of the press at that time, specifically in times of war. The understanding of the positions that the press took, however, must be made in context of the information that was provided by the government and individual stands of various papers with respect to the bombings as a means to end the war.
The bomb that was dropped on the city of Hiroshima on 6 august was the first atomic bomb in the world. Not only did this bomb signify mass scale destruction, but it also ushered in an era of nuclear warfare. Thus this in itself was a historic event for the entire world, more so for …show more content…
An important omission, which is observed in the release, is the absolute exclusion of radiation as a side effect of nuclear weaponry. The long term effects that this radiation would have on the human population are completely overshadowed by the hailing of the atomic bomb as the “greatest, most revolutionary” weapon that the world has seen. Mitchell writes in this regard, that “The government (and the military in particular) also attempted to squelch or refute reports about the effects of the atomic bombs on humans, especially the devastating and lingering impact of radiation. Instead, the government attempted to focus media attention on descriptions of the initial blasts and the effects of the atomic bombs on inanimate