My Lai: The Massacre That Changed the Course of the Vietnam War
Seymour Hersh
Image courtesy of Matt Anderson
In 1969, respected freelance journalist Seymour Hersh heard about a lieutenant charged with 75 murders. Through his contacts, Hersh found Calley and his lawyer and interviewed them. On November 12, 1969 he wrote a non-sensational article that only interested the Dispatched News Service. However, it managed to get more than 30 newspapers into publishing the article.
Newspaper courtesy of The Hartford Courant
Hersh's 1969 article attracted a sufficient number of newspapers interested in the story, and ironically, Haeberle, who sold his photographs to The Plain Dealer.
With graphic images of the massacre, the coverage of the second moonwalk was diverted and the My Lai Massacre took the front page.
"It's just a routine moonwalk."
~Plain Dealer Editing Manager
Image courtesy of The Plain Dealer
The same night The Plain Dealer was published, the CBS Evening news showed Haeberle's photographs.
However, the dam truly broke when Hersh published his second article on the massacre. This included an interview of three soldiers who were at My Lai.
Image courtesy of The Plain Dealer
Newspaper courtesy of The Washington Post Newspaper courtesy of The New York Times Newspaper courtesy of The Los Angeles Times
Americans treated the My Lai Massacre as their story, voicing their opinions and protesting at Washington D.C. Most felt outraged that their country perpetrated such brutalities.
Anti-war Movements