Contemporary HistoryGulf of Tonkin Conspiracy

Part One: After reading the article, “Tonkin Gulf Lie Launched Vietnam War” answer the following questions.

1. What was the official story concerning the Gulf of Tonkin incident?

2. What was the U.S.S. Maddox “really doing” on the night of August 2, 1964?

3. What evidence is there that a second torpedo attack on August 4th never happened?

4. According to the author of this article why was the media willing to present such “inaccurate news coverage,” when reporting on the Gulf of Tonkin incident?

5. According to the author did the news media have sources of information that contradicted the government’s reporting of the events surrounding the Gulf of Tonkin incident? If so what were they?

Part Two: The Media’s Role

Background: The media has often been used by the American Government to “control the message” concerning certain events in history. With freedom of the press being one of the basic rights in the United States the question of “what should be reported” is always in the fore.

1. Should the U.S. media have complete access to government information or are there times when the government has the right to keep information from the media?

2. Should the U.S. Government have the right to mislead or manipulate the media in the name of national security? Explain

Part Three: Wikileaks Go back to my faculty page and click on the Wikileaks link. Read the article and answer the following questions.

1. Does a website such as Wikileaks have the right to release sensitive information concerning the U.S. mission in Iraq? Explain

2. If given the opportunity to work for the media what king of journalist would you be? Consider the information discussed concerning the role of the media in today’s world. (One Paragraph Response)