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The U.S Media and the Vietnam Way A distinguishing factor that set the Vietnam War apart from any war in history was the role of the American media. Before the 1960’s and the escalation of the war, news coverage of military action was limited heavily by the government and was directed in the interest of Government policy. The Vietnam War changed all this by bringing the war into the homes of the American citizen. The events that occurred in Vietnam could be captured on television, which was a relative first for wartime activity. The Vietnam War was the first war that allowed the media to report without censorship resulting in images and accounts of gruesome events that served to shape public opinion of the war like nothing that had been seen before. This portrayal by the media led to a separation between the press and the U.S. government, as much of what was reported defied the intentions of government policy. The media has also fell blame by many for the result of the war, as it is widely believed that the war could not have been won under the scrutiny that came from the American people as a result of the media coverage. From the beginning of the Vietnam War to the present, the media has been an immeasurable factor in the perc