Introduction: The American media is a vital resource for coverage of national and international affairs. They keep the public informed and report on issues in which the United States is involved so that the American people can form their own views and opinions on them. In particular, the media simply cannot report on every event affecting America, so they are also tasked with choosing between what is most important and what is newsworthy, as well as the task of reporting news that will produce ratings high enough to maintain their news. station up and running. All American media faces these challenges; be it television media, newspapers or radio media. Both the American media and the American people need each other: the people need the media for information on current events and American affairs, and the media need the people for ratings, recurring interest, and support in their news to stay in business. Importance and Limitations: Sometimes the media can underreport events such as the war in Afghanistan. The war in Afghanistan was one of the least reported wars in U.S. history. In 2010, only 4% of American newspapers were dedicated to the war in Afghanistan (Hanrahan). The American people had essentially limited information about the war; so the opinions on it were quite broad: some supported it, while others did not. One of the main reasons for this was the lack of American journalists in Afghanistan. There were only a handful of American journalists in Afghanistan at the time, and those who were there struggled to tell a story. Those traveling with military units had to constantly be on high alert of their surroundings and while moving with the unit often...... middle of paper ......ca, n.d. Web. April 16 2014.Hanrahan, John. “The endless war is a war with very little news coverage.” NiemanWatchdog. Np, nd Web. April 9, 2014.History.com Staff. "Vietnam War Protests." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web.April 14, 2014.Kagan, Richard C. “Vietnam War.” Encyclopedia of Modern Asia. Ed. Karen Christensen and David Levinson. vol. 6. New York: Sons of Charles Scribner, 2002. 76-82. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Network. May 6, 2014. "The media and war." Vietnam War Encyclopedia. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. New York: Sons of Charles Scribner, 1996. World History in Context. Network. 14 March 2014.Potter, Paolo. “Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).” Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). Np, nd Web. April 15, 2014. “Vietnam War: Draft Resistance.” Vietnam: Resistance to the draft. Np, nd Web. April 16. 2014.