Photographic Imagery and the Vietnam War: An Unexamined Perspective

Summary

This study, contrasting the simultaneous approaches of two professional photojournalists in reporting events occurring during the Vietnam war, focuses upon the effects of photographic imagery on individuals' inclinations to believe emotionally charged communications within the mass media. The data show that the portrayals of the Vietnam war by David Douglas Duncan and by Larry Burrows are significantly different. Content analysis of Duncan's photographic imagery demonstrates his monolithic dedication to the American soldier, and his sense of commitment to demonstrate the burdens placed on military men. In contrast, Burrows' photographic images express his pronounced concern for the nonmilitary and the human consequences of a wartime situation. The present investigators believe that the sociological and the social psychological significance of photographic imagery have yet to be fully realized and understood. Differential emphases of visual forms of communication, which are demonstrated in this analysis, may be inferred to have potentially powerful influences on the opinions, attitudes, and belief systems of members of the viewing public. In a photoelectronic age, where interpretation of events based on imagery takes on special significance, it may be particularly fruitful for social scientists to employ visual methods of research in studying modern social problems.