Television impact the Cold War?

Rosalia Hibler: In the USA, TV news and the Cold War grew simultaneously in the years following WW2. In order to get support from the American public for a long term arms buildup, defense and security officials turned to the television networks as the best way to spread their message. TV Network news divisions proved to be quite willing to perform as unofficial propagandists for the US government, partly because this was the era of McCarthyism. Displays of loyalty to the government were a good insurance policy against any accusation of being a Communist sympathizer, and therefore risking being blacklisted. So TV Networks aired programs that had been produced, scripted, and approved by the White House and the Departments of State and Defense, treating them as if they were genuine news and public affairs programs. So, the TV Networks effectively 'sold' the Cold War to the American public....Show more

Enriqueta Steffen: During the 1950s television emerged as the mo! st powerful mass medium since the invention of the printing press. At this time, America was gripped with fear and anxiety about the possibilities of war and nuclear threat, and television reflected this paranoia. Through close examination of 1950s television, including news, public service announcements, documentaries, and science fiction programming, this class investigates the ways that television reflected and perpetuated fear and hysteria during the Cold War period, a pivotal moment in modern history....Show more