War propoganda

One constant throughout human existence has been war. But what has become a relatively new is the use of propaganda during war. 

Propaganda is sharing ideas with the goal of hurting a cause or person. The first well-known use of propaganda was with the Catholic Church in 1622 with the "Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith" where the church sent missionaries to the New World to convert the indigenous people to Christianity. 

War propaganda is a bit different though because it is the action of working to change peoples' attitudes about a war. 

 

In America, war propaganda really originated in the Spanish-American War with the sinking of the Maine. In this instance, Hearst influenced media coverage by blaming the Spanish for the sinking and was known to say, "You furnish the pictures, I'll provide the war." This is a great example of how flashy reporting and yellow journalism can affect interpretation.

 

Shortly after the Spanish-American War ended, the United States was entangled in World War I. The U.S. government utilized war propaganda through the famous Uncle Sam Wants You poster. This poster was affective and persuasive in recruiting soldiers through being convincing and personable. 

And transitioning into World War II, the U.S. then used the Rosie the Riveter poster. This was a form of war propaganda to get women into the workforce and factories to make war equipment. It worked. As the percentage of woman working outside of the home skyrocketed, and the U.S. won WWII. 

 

The Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics says that journalists should seek to provide the unbiased truth. This should still be the case no matter what, so journalists should be aware of their impact upon the course of history with their reporting.