Chapters 13 - 15 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 13, "With One Voice", examines the tendency of wartime media to adopt the tone and texture of official media such that the media and public portrayal of the war is homogeneous and sanitized. During World War II, radio and print newspapers were the predominant sources of media, supported by film, books, and magazines. Access to war zones by media staff was controlled by the military, and reporters who would not adapt to military guidelines were excluded from war zones. Most media organizations voluntarily helped to portray a homogenized and sanitized war, feeling that this was a patriotic duty. To a marked extent, fiction and poetry also adapted to the affected style of high-minded interpretation of a meaningful war effort. Various verse and prose quotes are provided to illustrate the point. Other forms of 'one-voice' expression are considered, including the...