The legal aspect of newsgathering in war is a hotly debated topic. Propaganda can be both positive and negative. Throughout history, newsgathering at a time of war has been a very sensitive issue. The way that war is portrayed by the media has an immense effect on citizen's morale and the attitude of nations.

Journalists are often confronted with the ethical and moral dilemmas of producing accurate, yet interesting stories. They must be responsible with their reporting, but at the same time keep the public interest high in order to be successful. It is suspected the propaganda has been around as long as freedom of expression.

One of the earliest and most famous cases in which the media was used to shape the ways in which war itself is waged and perceived was William Randolph Hearst's use of his New York Examiner as propagation of the Spanish-American War...