The United States Media and the Guatemalan Coup d'etat of 1954

Abstract

This paper will examine the media’s coverage of the events of 1954 that led to the overthrow of the duly elected Arbenz with aid from the U.S. Specifically, the presentation of events by the Christian Science Monitor, The Nation, the New York Times, and Time and Newsweek magazines will be addressed. By examining these periodicals’ coverage of the Guatemalan coup d’état of 1954, this paper will show that during the period the U.S. media failed in its responsibility to objectively report upon the activities of its government within Latin America in general and Guatemala in particular. This failure by the journalism community was the result of preexisting notions of paternalism, the historical precedent of intervention, financial and political ties between U.S. media and business interests in Latin America, and most importantly, the prevailing climate of public opinion that existed in the U.S. during the Cold War.