Question

read the scenario.
the nightly news played a big role in shaping public
opinion on the vietnam war. in the early years of the
war, tv coverage centered on battle maps and
statistics. the human cost of the war was seldom
shown. in the late 1960s, television coverage changed
as reporters began to distrust government statistics.
also, images from the tet offensive cast doubt on the
government’s claim that the united states was winning
the war. in 1968, walter cronkite, the anchor of cbs
evening news, returned from a tour of vietnam. he
declared his belief that the war would end in
negotiation, not victory. public support for the war
began to drop.
how did the media change public opinion on the war?
○ by distrusting government statistics
○ by avoiding the human cost of the war
○ by questioning the government’s claims
○ by focusing on battle maps and statistics

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• Option "by distrusting government statistics": The media (reporters) distrusted stats, but the change in public opinion came from questioning government claims (like the war's progress), not just distrusting stats.
• Option "by avoiding the human cost of the war": In early years they avoided, but later coverage changed, so this is incorrect.
• Option "by questioning the government’s claims": The Tet Offensive images and Cronkite's report questioned the government's claim of winning, leading to public support drop. This matches.
• Option "by focusing on battle maps and statistics": This was early coverage, not what changed opinion later.

Answer:

C. by questioning the government’s claims (assuming the options are labeled A, B, C, D with C being this option; adjust label as per actual numbering, but the text of the correct option is "by questioning the government’s claims")