Media coverage of the 1918 Influenza epidemic in the USA was minimized due to the political discourse of the time. During and after WW1, there was a significant contrast between media coverage of the pandemic and media coverage of political campaigns. The censorship of the media by political figures was largely motivated by the fear of receiving criticism which, in turn, could damage their campaigns. Politicians during this time were under pressure to find new ways to influence public opinion as major candidates for office had been forced to cancel speaking tours due to the rise in influenza cases. Although many restrictions were already in place to combat influenza, in 1918, President Woodrow Wilson fought for control of Congress and urged local officials to keep polling places open [1], even encouraging more political advertisements and personal visitations [2]. Thus, Wilson directly opposed medical advice in an attempt to focus public attention toward politics. There are also accounts of politicians expressing their distaste toward the newly implemented policies aimed at decreasing the spread of influenza [3]. Many even claimed that the disease was not serious and there was no occasion for panic, “The flu? Huh! Nothing but a little germ that flops up your nose.” They also diverged the focus of the public by promoting the claim that the type of influenza had very low fatalities, “not over one death out of every four hundred cases,” according to the N.C. Board of Health [4]. Image 1.1: Forced cancellation of speaking campaigns [2] Image 1.2 Quotes from politicians about campaign restrictions [3] President Woodrow Wilson was in office from 1913 to 1921 and was a major contributor to the pandemic’s minimization in the media. During his presidency, he was actively fighting the war while campaigning as an anti-war ideologist in order to win his 1916 election [5]. He was heavily criticized in the papers as “playing with politics.” Wilson had proof that the war was inevitable, but still campaigned that he had kept the country out of war after firing Secretary of War Garrison for urging preparedness for the war and replacing him with “pacifist” Baker. This caused many newspapers that once defended him to become agitated and more willing to publish criticisms of his policies. In 1918, Wilson responded by passing the Sedition Act making it illegal to speak or publish any language that was deemed disloyal, profane, or abusive toward the US government [4]. This extreme censorship and outright suppression of any opposing publications allowed the administration to publish their own campaign propaganda that enlisted many troops into the military. This was due to the propaganda significantly increasing American patriotism and loyalty during war time, and manipulating people who once opposed the war, or remained neutral, to support the military. The most famous example of this being the Uncle Sam war poster meant to enlist soldiers with a blank space below to add the address for enlisting [6]. Image 2.1 Uncle Sam pointing his finger at the viewer in order to recruit soldiers for the American Army during WWI [6] In 1917, Congress declared war against the Central Powers, and the Wilson administration began implementing more authoritarian policies in their effort to win the war. The government during this time allocated vast amounts of economic and material resources such as food, finances, labor, and fuel to the military. In 1917, Wilson passed the Selective Service Act which extended the draft to include males from ages 21 to 30 [7]. Later in 1918, Congress amended the act to include men from ages 18 to 45 and added about 3 million armed forces to the war effort. The training camps did not have enough capacity to shelter the new recruits and the quarters were tightly packed with men. These conditions significantly increased the spread of influenza, but the situation was of little concern to Wilson. The Wilson administration aimed to boost national morale throughout the media rather than shift the focus of the public toward reality and distract them from aiding the war effort. Although there was supported evidence that the spread of influenza was attributed to close contact and gatherings, the Wilson administration was not concerned about the disease’s impact on the civilian or military population. For example, the city of Philadelphia hosted a Liberty Bond parade in order to gather public support for the war. It was declared to be “a parade of 10,000 persons, representing every class of official and business life,” and raised millions of dollars by selling Liberty Bonds to fund the war [8]. Similarly, although Wilson had been advised to deploy fewer troops due to the rapid spread of influenza, he allowed for the continuation of the transfers, and thus, accelerated the spread around the globe. Image 3.1 States the location and route of the Liberty Bond Parade [8] Image 3.2: Describes the exhibition of resources and intent to raise money for the war effort [8] Although President Wilson and his administration tried to downplay the reality of the pandemic, in 1919, Wilson became ill from the same influenza he told the public not to worry about. It is speculated that he contracted the disease at the Versailles Peace Conference while negotiating the end of WW1 and collapsed in front of the other world leaders [9]. At the conference, Wilson argued for a ‘League of Nations” to settle any future international affairs. However, after Wilson suffered a stroke, which some believe to be an after effect of his previous influenza case, Congress rebuked his goal of uniting the nations as both his Congressional and public approval ratings fell [10]. Overall, politicians’ lack of involvement in inhibiting the spread of the influenza epidemic along with their deliberate choices to censor the media largely contributed to the acceleration of influenza cases References
1. Searcey, D. (2020, March 21). The Lessons of the Elections of 1918. Retrieved March 18, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/21/us/politics/1918-flu-pandemic- elections.html 2. Influenza Interrupts Political Campaign. (1917, October 21). The Evening Star - Washington, D. C., p. 9. Retrieved March 18, 2021, from https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/idx/f/flu/1680flu.0011.861/1/--influenza-interrupts- political-campaign?page=root;rgn=subject;size=100;view=pdf;q1=election 3. Flu Snag For Politicians. (1918, October 17). The Courier-Journal, Louisville, pp. 1-2. Retrieved March 18, 2021, from https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/idx/f/flu/3060flu.0005.603/1/--flu-snag-for- politicians?page=root;rgn=subject;size=100;view=pdf;q1=election 4. Kessler, R. (2018, June 13). Outbreak: Lies and Misinformation. Retrieved March 18, 2021, from https://www.ecohealthalliance.org/2018/05/outbreak-lies-and-misinformation 5. A Thinking Paper For Thinking People. (1918, September 7). Goodwin's Weekly, p. 7. Retrieved March 18, 2021, from https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/2010218519/1918-09-07/ed-1/seq-7/ 6. Flagg, J. M. (ca. 1917) I want you for U.S. Army: nearest recruiting station / James Montgomery Flagg. United States, ca. 1917. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/96507165/. 7. Ray, M. (2020, May 11). Selective Service Acts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Selective-Service-Acts8. 8. Liberty Bond Parade. (1917, June 4). Evening Public Ledger - Philadelphia, p. 4. Retrieved March 18, 2021, from https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045211/1917-06- 04/ed1/seq4/#date1=1916&index=6&rows=20&words=Bond+Liberty+parade+Parade&s earchType=basic&sequence=0&state=Pennsylvania&date2=1919&proxtext=liberty+bon d+parade&y=7&x=20&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1 9. Jordan, D., Tumpey, T., & Jester, B. (2018, March 20). 1918 Pandemic Influenza Historic Timeline. Retrieved March 18, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic- resources/1918-commemoration/pandemic-timeline-1918.htm 10. Critics of President are Rebuked. (1919, January 31). The Pensacola Journal, p. 1. Retrieved March 18, 2021, from https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87062268/1919-01- 31/ed-1/seq-1/
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