At the same rally in 1991, Laura Flanders gave a speech demanding accurate media coverage of the antiwar demonstrations. Flanders was employed at a nonprofit which worked to hold the media accountable in the name of fair, representative, unbiased reporting. She argued that coverage of the war focused on military successes rather than the impacts of the war on non-Americans, and portrayed the antiwar movement as anti-troop. The Vietnam era was widely recognized as an era hostile towards troops, partly because the media portrayed the antiwar movement to be so[1]. The media carried this notion into the antiwar protests of the 90’s despite a lacking foundation for these claims. Reagan, Nixon, Bush, and Carter had all contributed to the resurgence of a society that supported its troops[2]. Despite this, many were eager to move past the culture of the Cold War, which included the impending fear of imminent warfare, which translated into the antiwar movement during the Gulf War. It is often said that actions speak louder than words. The power of the two combined, however, rises above their respective abilities to compel people into action. The Gulf War marked a shift in the attitude of antiwar protestors towards the army in that there was no longer hostility toward the armed forces. Flanders’ speech reminded its audience that the independent media in a democratic state should transcend the notion of American Exceptionalism and give its consumers the full scope of the impacts of war. Her words serve as an illustration of the growing number of minorities who participated in dissent, and the political sphere as a whole. Without diversity in perspective, the government is able to act in its own interests rather than the interests of American people, which is an unfortunate common trend in war. Flanders’ message effectively contributed to the rejection of idealistic reporting in future wars.
[1] Beamish, Thomas D., Harvey Molotch, and Richard Flacks. “Who Supports the Troops? Vietnam, the Gulf War, and the Making of Collective Memory.” Social Problems 42, no. 3 (1995): 344-60.
[2] Beamish, Thomas D., Harvey Molotch, and Richard Flacks. “Who Supports the Troops? Vietnam, the Gulf War, and the Making of Collective Memory.” 344-60.