| September 30 |  |
Editor says, what if the Civil Rights Movement had not caught on with the media? muses Eric Oppen. Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the June 2012 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1962, following the tragic death of iconic white journalist Walter Cronkite, the right-wing "gotcha" media began to decisively turn against the Civil Rights Movement.
Gone Crackers 1 Civil Rights Movement enters Stormy Waters after the loss of an anchorEven though the Movement itself was governed by peaceful principles, the reaction clearly was not; a series of violent escalations began to rip the fabric of society apart. And the campus struggle at the previously segregated University of Mississippi had brought a frightening new development, a direct confrontation between Federal and State Level troopers.
When Cronkite was shot in the cross-fire while reporting the controversial admission of an African American student James Meredith, the media elite had concluded that the country was now on the verge of Civil War. Thereafter all major news channels began to sharply criticize the actions of the Movement and its leaders. Then two weeks later, some even more devastating photographic images were taken.
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© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Politicians Source: Wikipedia Labels: James Meredith, Walter Cronkie, Civil Rights, America, African Americans.
~ This could have become very messy, very messy indeed, and our critics abroad would have had a field day.
~ To say the least.
~ In 1962 the only 'rightwing media' was National Review, a magazine of such limited import that it was kept alive with fund raising drives like a NPR station. Wrong decade.
~ This wouls not be allowedto happen, particularly under Kennedy. it was crucial the CRM appear to succeed and nudges" would be made to the media - which would have happened anyway.
This was because of Foreign Policy. Otherwise forget about the Third World and the Commissars will be dancing in Red Square.
~ Believe me, if a prominent commentator had been killed by racists, his fellow reporters would have made sure that the civil rights movements became the country's most celebrated cause. In the same spirit, a journalist in Syria recently claimed that the rebels had deliberately tried to set him up to be killed by government forces, knowing that this would bring the press even closer to their side.
~ The South rising up for state's rights again, interesting thought.
~ The death of Cronkite could have been a very big deal even outside the CRM. Vietnam, even the space program to some degree.
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© Today in Alternate History, 2013-. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
