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In his latest book on the Vietnam War, Inside Television’s First War, Ron Steinman ’55 recounts his experiences as NBC News bureau chief in Saigon from April 1966 until July 1968. During a period that saw the major buildup of American troops and the Tet Offensive, Steinman and his colleagues reported on the war through a camera lens, on the front lines, in the countryside, in cities, and in villages. His book offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the Vietnam conflict influenced young journalists and how they in turn influenced the American public.
“I felt compelled to write this book, and I’ve been trying to write it for many years,” Steinman says. “Journalists were often maligned during the war. We were accused of having a particular attitude that helped turn public opinion against the war. But it was the actions of our government, not of reporters, that caused the war to end with a whimper,” he says.
“The kind of journalism we practiced in Vietnam will never be practiced again. War is now high-tech, and journalists are kept at a distance.” Steinman asserts that today’s news reports of sanitized, impersonal battles delude Americans about the true nature of war.
Steinman is also the author of The Soldiers’ Story: Vietnam in Their Own Words and Women in Vietnam: The Oral History. He is partner, producer, director, and writer at Douglas/Steinman Productions in New York City, a documentary film production company. A history graduate, Steinman drifted through various jobs after graduation. “Then I went to work for NBC News–in the mailroom–and moved through the ranks,” he says.
Ron Steinman ’55
Categorized in: Alumni Profiles