LibGuides: Primary Sources: America in World War II: U.S. Journalism and Wartime Correspondence during World War II

U.S. Journalism and Wartime Correspondents during World War II

During World War II, U.S. journalism played a crucial role in shaping public perception, disseminating information, and providing firsthand accounts of the conflict to the American people. Wartime correspondents, often called "war reporters," risked their lives to report from the front lines, providing a glimpse into the realities of war and the experiences of soldiers and civilians.

Journalists such as Ernie Pyle, Edward R. Murrow, and Walter Cronkite became household names for their brave and insightful reporting during the war. Pyle, known for his down-to-earth style and empathetic portrayal of the common soldier, captured the human side of war through his dispatches from the trenches and battlefields.

Edward R. Murrow, broadcasting from London as part of CBS's "Murrow Boys," delivered gripping radio broadcasts that brought the war home to American audiences. His reports on the Blitz and the Battle of Britain provided firsthand accounts of life under siege and inspired a sense of solidarity with the British people.

Walter Cronkite, then a young correspondent for United Press, covered the Allied invasion of Normandy on D-Day and later became one of the most trusted voices in American journalism. His reporting from the front lines and subsequent career as a television news anchor solidified his reputation as a journalistic integrity and excellence paragon.

Wartime correspondents faced numerous challenges and dangers, from censorship and propaganda to the constant threat of injury or death. Despite these risks, they remained committed to informing the public and bearing witness to history.

The contributions of U.S. journalism and wartime correspondents during World War II played a vital role in shaping public opinion, bolstering morale, and preserving the democratic principles for which the Allied forces fought. Their reporting not only provided crucial information but also served as a testament to the power of the press in holding governments and institutions accountable, even in times of war.

In essence, America's wartime correspondence during World War II was a multifaceted communication conduit, connecting individuals, communities, and nations in the shared struggle against tyranny and oppression.

Online Sources: U.S. Journalism and Wartime Correspondents during World War II

American Foreign and War Correspondents (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum) As the events of the early 1930s began to unfold, Americans turned to foreign correspondents to keep them informed about threatening conditions across the globe. Historians of journalism describe this period and the 1940s as the “golden age” of American journalism, because of the influence of such figures as Edward R. Murrow, William L. Shirer, and Dorothy Thompson.
Ernie Pyle (Indiana University) To his readers, Ernie Pyle was a master of telling the story of the little guy, of describing the fears and daily strife of soldiers fighting in World War II. He was not just a passionate writer, however. An early “embedded journalist,” he worked alongside the troops, experiencing much of what they did, placing himself in danger as they did. His columns captured the scene and his reporting humanized the war for many of his readers. At the school, Ernie Pyle is revered for his contributions to journalism and honored as the namesake of the building that houses an institution dedicated to teaching students what Pyle mastered: that great storytelling is built on great journalism skills and an ability to explain the larger issues of the world through the eyes of the people most affected by them.
Ernie Pyle: The Voice of the American Soldier in World War II (The National WW II Museum - New Orleans) Newspaper correspondent Ernie Pyle became a national folk hero by reporting on the average soldier in World War II.
Federal Newsmaps (UNT Digital Library) The U.S. War Department published News maps throughout the Second World War. The names and configurations of the responsible sub-agencies changed several times during the war. Notes on many of the Newsmaps indicate that they were distributed by both the Army and the Navy.
Female Journalist of World War II -1939-1945 (PBS News Hours) In this case study, students will learn about the contributions of female journalists during World War II. (Cover photo: Six female war correspondents who covered the US Army in the European Theater during World War II appear together in this 1943 photograph: Mary Welch, Dixie Tighe, Kathleen Harriman, Helen Kirkpatrick, Lee Miller, and Tania Long. Courtesy of U.S. Army Center of Military History for educational purposes only.)
History of American Journalism The 1940s were a decade of tension and transition. Millions of American soldiers left for World War II, and with them went men and women journalists – most notably the "Murrow boys." Edward R. Murrow, made famous by World War II, began a transition from radio to television. It was the golden age of comic books. While print media were enjoying success, the war thwarted expansion of broadcast media, especially the new technology of television. The Federal Communication Commission forbade the creation of new radio and television stations during the war years. The 1940s also saw the death of the beloved Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and the fall of both Mussolini in Italy and Adolf Hitler in Germany. From the embers of the Second World War came the "Cold War" a simmering competition for world dominance between the democratic, capitalist United States and totalitarian, communist Soviet Union.
Radio Days Includes various radio broadcasts. - "Radio Days was born out of an interest in all things Old Time Radio, education, and an interest in the World Wide Web. It began in early 1995 and was the first domain specifically dedicated to old time radio. The web site has been featured in many publications including The New York Times, USA Today, CNN and many educational institutions. The mission of this site is to be both an educational tool as well as a historical reference for the various aspects of Old Time Radio including drama, comedy, mystery, and news. Jim WidnerJim Widner is the owner and webmaster and is recognized in the Old Time Radio Community as a long time historian, author and fan of the genre. He was an educator for eight years and has written a number of articles on Old Time Radio as well as a book co-authored with Meade Frierson III called Science Fiction on Radio: A Revised Look at 1950-1975."
Reporting From the Front Lines of WWII (USO) https://www.uso.org/stories/123-reporting-from-the-front-lines-of-wwii
Wartime Press - Digital Archive of WWII Publications Original books, booklets, magazines, manuals, newspapers, and documents relating to WWII, from many sides of the conflict. Includes US, British, Polish, German, Czech, Italian, Japanese, and Russian documents.
Women Come to the Front (Library of Congress) "The women featured in this exhibit were chosen because of the strength and variety of their collections in the Library of Congress. Like their colleagues, the women followed various paths to their wartime assignments."
Women Come to the Front Accredited Women Correspondents During World War II (Library of Congress) List of women who served as war time correspondence.
World War II Rumor Project (Library of Congress) The World War II Rumor Project collection contains manuscript materials compiled by the Office of War Information (OWI). The OWI was established by an Executive order on June 13, 1942, for the purpose of achieving a coordinated governmental war information program. The information program was designed to promote an informed and intelligent understanding of the status and progress of the war effort, war policies, activities, and aims of the United States government. All functions of the Office of Facts and Figures and of the Office of Government Reports, and parts of the functions and related records of two other agencies were transferred to the OWI. For the World War II Rumor Project, field representatives collected information from community-based correspondents and sent duplicate or triplicate copies of reports of the correspondents to Dr. Eugene Horowitz at the Bureau of Public Inquiries of the OWI. The reports listed rumors and anecdotes that were compiled by Dr. Horowitz and William H. Webber arranged in alphabetical order by states and by subjects. This collection has two distinct components. The first component involved field representatives of various federal agencies in the United States instructed to enlist individuals in their communities who were willing to write down rumors and send them to the field representatives. These individuals or "correspondents" included dentists, beauty shop operators, policemen, proprietors, and librarians who had access to rumors in their communities.
World War II Sketches by Victor A. Lundy (Library of Congress) A visual diary with 158 pencil sketches brings to life the wartime experience of noted architect Victor A. Lundy, who served in the U.S. 26th Infantry Division during World War II. In 1942, Lundy was 19, studying to be an architect in New York City. Excited about rebuilding Europe post-war, he and other college men enlisted in the Army Special Training Program (ASTP). But, by 1944, with D-Day planned, the Army needed reinforcements, and Lundy and his company were thrown into the infantry. Lundy couldn't believe it and recalled during an oral history interview that during lectures, he "never listened, I was busy sketching." But soon, "I sort of took to it. ... war experience just hypnotizes young men." Lundy applied his drawing skills to what was around him--training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina; forced marches; men at rest; the PX and tents; New York harbor; aboard ship in the Atlantic crossing; Cherbourg harbor; and French villages. Many vivid portraits of fellow soldiers and frontline danger also fill the pages. The sketches cover May to November 1944 when Lundy was wounded, with some gaps where notebooks were lost. The eight surviving sketchbooks are spiral bound and 3 x 5 inches --small enough to fit in a breast pocket. Lundy used black Hardtmuth leads (a drawing pencil) and sketched quickly. "For me, drawing is sort of synonymous with thinking."
WWII Era Audio Recordings This collection comes from the internet Archive and with 135 Broadcasts from the World War II years.

Book Sources: U.S. Journalism and Wartime Correspondents during World War II

Click the title for location and availability information.

The African American press in World War II : toward victory at home and abroad by Paul Alkebulan
Call Number: FAU Boca Raton Campus, Boca Raton General Collection ; D799.U6 A725 2014
ISBN: 9780739190760
Publication Date: 2014-04-17
Berlin Diary by William L Shirer
Call Number: Jupiter General Collection D811.5 .S5 1941
Ernie's War by Ernie Pyle
Call Number: Boca Raton General Collection D743 .P95 1986
ISBN: 0394549236
My War by Andy Rooney
Call Number: Boca Raton General Collection D811 .R634 2000
ISBN: 0812925327
Once There Was a War by John Steinbeck; Mark Bowden (Editor)
Call Number: Boca Raton General Collection D743 .S65 1994
ISBN: 0143104799
Publication Date: 2007-08-28
Pacific Microphone by William J. Dunn; Mike Wallace (Foreword by)
Call Number: View Online
ISBN: 9780890963395
Publication Date: 1988-11-01
Reporting World War II
Call Number: Boca Raton General Collection PN4867 .R47 1995 Holdings: v.1-v.2
ISBN: 1883011043
Reporting World War II by Trauschweizer, Ingo editor.; Piehler, G. Kurt, editor.
Call Number: View Online
ISBN: 1531503128
Publication Date: 2023
The War Years, 1939-1945 by I.F. Stone
Call Number: Jupiter General Collection D769 .S76 1988
A collection of Stone's articles originally published in The Nation.