By Evan &Sam

Media was a very important part of the Vietnam war. Not only did the media have its own views and perspectives on the situation, but this time, in this war, people could be updated daily through the television and othe media. The Vietnam war was Australia's first "Television War".

The media was posting what the the view of the war as seen by the public. It was stated in an opinion poll in October 1969 showed only 39% of the population was for war, the other 59% were strongly against.

The media had shown the public that they had their right to speak out, and that is exactly what they did. Anti-war activists were commonly known to protest in the streets, outside parliament house and all around major cities in Australia. Some protests were brought to bloody ends with vicious riots, while others were barely noticed. 

"Here you see an anti-war protester burning his conscription papers"  with many others following in his footsteps, due to the access they had to be able to view these events not only by being at the incident but by watching it on television.

The Vietnam war was completely different to other wars that Australia had been involved in, such as World War One, World War Two and the war in South Korea. Those wars created controversy and hatred between Vietnam and Australia, of course it was more so Australia hating Vietnam than the other way round, because Vietnam was under constant bombardment by many different nations helping the United States. Although many Australians aware of the war, they were trying to keep the peace.  There was also a large percentage of Australian citizens who hated the Vietnamese and all Asians. These people had not even been to the war let alone ever talked to a Vietnamese person. The reason that they were acting this way towards the Vietnamese peole was that they were portraid as radical 'terrorists' and essentially 'a bad race' in the Australian media.

In the war 520 Australian soldiers were killed whereas 2400 were wounded.

Extreme photos and television productions were shown to the Australian public, which showed things that were happening in the war and the results of the war taking place.

This photo was shown to the Australian public, of a Buddhist Priest in South Vietnam, named Thich Quang Duc, who was protesting against the torture policy against priests. While he burned he never moved, nor made a sound.

The Vietnamese troops and law enforcers were protrayed to be ruthless killers as this picture was shown to the Australian public.-------->

A photo of a South Korean officer holding a suspected Viet Kong soldier at gun point.

Unfortunately the Australian public was not notified that this was a man suspected to be in the Viet Cong, they thought it was just an every day Vietnamese man. They did not think to ask questions, for they had seen it in the newspapers and the televsion. Hence portaying the Vietnamese Army as ruthless.

These pictures were what was to be the fuel for the opinion polls on the war.  Australians however, did not fear the Vietnamese public, as they saw their suffering and other disadvantages

see more pictures 

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 ABC Vietnam war, 2005, Gerald Stone

<http://abc.net.au/aroundtheworld/content/s1059129.htm>

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Ex.1 'It was stated in an opinion poll in October 1969 showed only 39% of the population was for war, the other 59% were strongly against.'

pg. 251

Mason, KJM, 2007, Experience of Nationhood, eddition 5, published by McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd, Sydney Australia.