Public Access to War Media Essay

Submitted By Swimmer1996
Words: 986
Pages: 4
Open Document
Public Access to War Media

The media should show war in all its gore and glory as it really happens. This can be accomplished through many forms of media, such as movies, photography, and articles. However, not all of the public wants this unfiltered exposure to war. The media has an obligation to present war as it really is while still providing measures to enable individuals and communities to choose whether to be exposed to objectionable materials.

“Saving Private Ryan” is an American epic war film that takes place during the Normandy invasion of World War II. It was filmed in 1998 and was given a R rating because it contains many war-filled scenes that expose the gruesome truth of war. Within the first forty minutes of the movie you see hundreds of soldiers arriving in ships to invade Normandy. A large number of those soldiers were shot and killed by opposing forces before they ever even made it to the shore. The explosions and gun shots were audibly and visually real that it appeared the soldiers had no chance of escaping the massacre that enclosed on them as they made their way through the waves onto the beach. The waves of the ocean were no longer blue; they were an awful blood stained color that cast around the lifeless bodies on the shore with ease. Could hundreds of soldiers, just in this one mission, really have been slaughtered by the enemy? Yes. “Saving Private Ryan” is the perfect example of how the media can expose the struggles soldiers experience while fighting for the freedom of their country.

Another poignant way the media portrays war is through photography. James Nachtwey is a photographer who exposes the horrid truth of war through his un-filtered photography. These photos are filled with the intense sadness and shocking devastation communities endure as a result of war all over the world. The human rights violations that can be seen in Mr. Nachtwey’s photos leave viewers appaled. The pictures he capture open the eyes of millions and give them the most honest, true news reports of what is really happening overseas and even in the United States. He talks about his photos and his experiences in a TED video at “James Nachtwey: My photographs bear witness, http://www.ted.com/talks/james_nachtwey_s_searing_pictures_of_war.html”. Mr. Nachtwey feels that photographs are much more powerful than the words of government officials because they have the power to fuel and guide many movements towards peace. He believes “that a picture that revealed the true face of war would almost by definition be an anti-war photograph.” Photographs are one of the few ways media can honestly show the world what is happening at war because it is hard evidence that clearly demonstrates the brutality of war.

“The Consequences of War: A Veteran’s Story”, is an article written by Glenna Tinney in 2012 that portrays the struggles soldiers face after returning home and the effects post-traumatic stress disorder can have on the soldier’s family. This article is about a girl who, when she was younger, did not understand what her father was going through as a retired soldier. However, as she grew up, she began to truly understand the severity of his invisible scars. She says, “I understand now that he had undiagnosed and untreated combat-related, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression that he self-medicated with alcohol.” Sadly, this was not limited to her father. Many soldiers suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression after returning home from war. Often, they believe that alcohol or other drugs are the only solution. Ms. Tinney’s father is just one example of how war can change a soldier and affect every aspect of his/her
Show More

Related Documents: Public Access to War Media Essay

Random Essay

said they would not seek the death penalty.[1] He was arraigned in February 2012 at Fort Meade, Maryland, where he declined to enter a plea. The trial is expected to begin in June 2013.[2] Assigned to an army unit based near Baghdad, Manning had access to databases used by the United States government to transmit classified information. He was arrested after Adrian Lamo, a computer hacker, cooperated with the Department of Defense, stating Manning had confided during online chats that he had downloaded…

Words 4933 - Pages 20

Mass Media Forms Essay

Chapter 6 Media in Everyday Life 1 The Media is pervasive • Screens are everywhere • Both public and private spaces • We multitask • When they fail we are “anxious” • Shift away from “mass” to narrow markets 2 The Masses and Mass Media • Emile Durkheim • Karl Marx - concept of the masses • Media Theory - concept of the masses • Term Mass Media 3 Emile Durkheim (French sociologist) - in industrial societies, collective sentiments and a collective conscience of the masses…

Words 3576 - Pages 15

Anon: Journalism and Social Media Essay

communication have continuously become easier to access and use by people around the world. The introduction of facebook, Twitter and recently, Instagram have allowed people to present themselves, articulate their social networks and establish or maintain connections with others (Ellison N, Steinfield C, Lampe C 2007). The topic of individual freedom has become vocal. Many perceive social media as an easy way to get a message out to the public. Such issues are of war, gender equality, genocide etc. It is true…

Words 1253 - Pages 6

The Role of Media in Government Essay

The Role of Media in Government Phase 3 Individual Project Isaac Joseph March 9, 2015 Colorado Technical University GOVT201-1501B-09 Prof. Constantinos Scaros The U.S. has one of the most varied media industries with expansive media outlets ranging from newspapers to broadcast television. The American people have access to every moment happening in the world with thousands of magazine, blogs, website, and 24 hour information broadcasting. The majority of the people rely on these outlets to gain…

Words 588 - Pages 3

The Vietnam War: A Film Analysis

The Vietnam War was a remarkable conflict in the Cold War period. It was one of the longest and the most unfavourable war that occurred in the twentieth century. The conflict had heavily influenced the lives of young American during the 1960s to 1970s. The involvement of the United States in Asia began the 1950s and finished after two decades time of hard battle by the withdrawal of American military forces from Saigon, South Vietnam in April 1975 . The difference of this war did not comprise just…

Words 838 - Pages 4

Effects of Mass Media Essay

Effects of Mass Media Ashley Henderson HUM/186 November 11, 2014 Dawn Cloutier Effects of Mass Media The job of the mass media is to set the big story, what is called the agenda; and tell the people the information they want to know about. This is not necessarily trying to tell people what to think but, what to think about; while doing it in an un-bias way. (Campbell, R) How information is delivered to the world has exploded and developed an information interstate changing how the world…

Words 983 - Pages 4

History of the U.S. Health Care Delivery System Essay

1900 to World War II (WW II), and WW II to 2009. Significant distinct and overlapping trends in disease prevalence, availability of health care resources, social organizations, and the public's knowledge and perception of health and illness and technology. Disease Prevalence 1850 - 1900: Epidemics of Acute Infections These public health disasters were related to the congested and unsanitary food supply, sewage disposal,…

Words 1174 - Pages 5

Theories Of Security Management

Case study 2 Suhan Kim Professor Nwatu CIS 502 – Theories of Security Management Strayer University February 1, 2014 Abstract WikiLeaks put the many secret U.S. military documents from the Iraq War and Afghan War Logs into a public web site. These documents included descriptions of attacks on Iraqi security forces and U.S. forces, detainee abuse, civilian casualty incidents, and so on. Social engineering and counterintelligence gave potential implications to national security. This paper describes…

Words 1838 - Pages 8

vietnam media Essay

end of the Japanese campaign. This left the country in a ‘chaotic’ state, and as such a war between the North and South ensues between 1946 and 1956. It was at this time that tensions were running high after the erection of ‘the iron curtain’. America were extremely concerned about the spread of communism throughout the world if the Southern Vietnamese lost their battle with the North and thus entered the war in 1956 until they left in 1975, with the fall of Saigon to the hands of the North Vietnamese…

Words 1116 - Pages 5

Humanity Paper DUE MARCH 1

know that throughout generations, communications and computing technology has evolved tremendously. It goes back to the Vietnam War, as stated the Vietnam War the first televised war. It’s been a common debate were twitter, Facebook and many other social medias, and how are they important in collapsing rules in certain uprisings. There’s many controversy about social media and all the new technology make a different in the successful uprisings for the government. For example, the debate of technology…

Words 1576 - Pages 7