From Newsreel to Real-Time War: How war coverage has changed (First part)

Along the History, the way to transmit what is happening in a warlike conflict has been changed. At first, newsreel was used to give information presented in a short documentary whose importance was shown in the first half of the 20^th century. This documentary started usually before a movie in the cinemas, and it was used to obtained money as donations and also to inform about the situation of the war. The shortage of the veracity was a problem to convince people of doing something. That’s why the government made it with a clear subjectivity and also they concealed the real position of the war.

Something similar was used in Spain to continue with Franco’s ideology. It was called NO-DO and I personally used as example of a newsreel because, apart of the ide to transmit a warlike conflict, the rest of the characteristics are very similar; they used to convince people, in cinemas (because it was one of the most relevant ways to inform until the appearance of television) and with a clear subjectivity.

The Vietnam war (1964-1975) was the first that used the new model to notify about a war; TV War. This war, between South of Vietnam against North of Vietnam, was the first time when it was showing the current situation, with less censure, and it reflected the surprise by the American when they saw films with airplanes flying, dropping bombs and troops on patrol (showed in the article written by Michael Mandelbaum). This controversial moment support the idea of the complicated transmission of wars (apart of the debilitated superiority of the country). Also the importance of the photography related to this war, where Nick Ut, from the Associated Press, has the main representation.