Media Influence on the People of the Us During Ww1
Amaani Mehra
AP World History
Mr. Christopher Rhatigan
1st April, 2012
MEDIA BENEFITTED THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES
FIRST WORLD WAR
The US government used media in various ways during the First World War, to manipulate the public to support their purpose. The reason that the majority of people in the US had common views throughout the First World War was because of the media influence. When the US was under the neutrality agreement, the media helped people feel good about being neutral. However, when the time came for the US to join the war, the media suddenly changed and tried to gain public support in favor of joining the war. During the war, however, to keep the home front happy, the media had to portray the war in a way that made the people forget the previous reasons for not joining the war. The newspapers were also highly censored so that the people would not know the entire truth about where their families had been sent to. This was to keep people from revolting after they had joined the war. The US, being one of the most diverse nations, needed a way in to portray the war in a way that would gain the approval of the majority of the people, to prevent civil unrest. The US media ended up sugar-coating the war so much that the common people did not know that the war had as devastating effects as it did. Only after the war had completely ended, did the common people of the US realize the effects it had had on the country and on the rest of the world. Although some argue that the media hid the truth from the people, it was all done for the general good. The US had chosen a way that would not worry the people and protect the home front, instead of a way that would let the people know the reality of the war, but worry them about something that was inevitable.
President Wilson established the Committee on Public information, an organization which, under the direction of a journalist named George Creel, became unlike any organization before
AP World History
Mr. Christopher Rhatigan
1st April, 2012
MEDIA BENEFITTED THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES
FIRST WORLD WAR
The US government used media in various ways during the First World War, to manipulate the public to support their purpose. The reason that the majority of people in the US had common views throughout the First World War was because of the media influence. When the US was under the neutrality agreement, the media helped people feel good about being neutral. However, when the time came for the US to join the war, the media suddenly changed and tried to gain public support in favor of joining the war. During the war, however, to keep the home front happy, the media had to portray the war in a way that made the people forget the previous reasons for not joining the war. The newspapers were also highly censored so that the people would not know the entire truth about where their families had been sent to. This was to keep people from revolting after they had joined the war. The US, being one of the most diverse nations, needed a way in to portray the war in a way that would gain the approval of the majority of the people, to prevent civil unrest. The US media ended up sugar-coating the war so much that the common people did not know that the war had as devastating effects as it did. Only after the war had completely ended, did the common people of the US realize the effects it had had on the country and on the rest of the world. Although some argue that the media hid the truth from the people, it was all done for the general good. The US had chosen a way that would not worry the people and protect the home front, instead of a way that would let the people know the reality of the war, but worry them about something that was inevitable.
President Wilson established the Committee on Public information, an organization which, under the direction of a journalist named George Creel, became unlike any organization before