Mass Media, Influencing People, and the JFK Assassination
Background:
1. What – The Assassination of the
President of the United States
2. Who – Victim: John F. Kennedy
Shooter: Depends on who you
ask, leading to many
3. Where – Dallas, Texas
4. When – November, 1963.
5. Why – ? Since there isn’t
an exact answer,
this has led to many
CONSPIRACY THEORIES
• What does the term
conspiracy mean?
When two or more
people plan or are
involved in a crime
Mr. Reinbold Amer. Civ. 10
Mass Media, Influencing People, and the JFK Assassination
Many consider the Kennedy Assassination to be the most famous criminal
act in American History.
The Debate/Issue: Many Americans do not completely believe the official
Government explanation as to what happened. Many conspiracy theories
have been put forth to explain the assassination.
*Which other U.S. Presidents were assassinated?
1. 1865 – Abe Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth, confederate Sympathizer
2. 1881 – James Garfield by Charles Guiteau, unstable Gov’t Office-seeker
3. 1901 – William McKinley by Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist
Mr. Reinbold Amer. Civ. 10
Mass Media, Influencing People, and the JFK Assassination
What Conspiracy Theories do
People Promote?
Soviet leader Khrushchev
might have been seeking
revenge after having to back
down after the Cuban Missile
Crisis?
Cuban leader Fidel Castro
might have been seeking
revenge after alleged American
attempts to assassinate him?
Mr. Reinbold Amer. Civ. 10
Mass Media, Influencing People, and the JFK Assassination
What Conspiracy Theories do
People Promote?
Independent or
“rogue” CIA
officers upset
at JFK?
Mobster Carlos Marcello upset at
attempts to prosecute him? Or
Mobster Sam Giancana upset
after a rumored failed CIA-Mafia
assassination attempt on Castro?
Angry Cuban exiles upset
after what they saw as
JFK’s lack of support for
the Bay of Pigs Invasion?
Mr. Reinbold Amer. Civ. 10
Mass Media, Influencing People, and the JFK Assassination
Over the years, as this Gallup Poll shows, more Americans believed JFK’s
death was a conspiracy and not the work of a single shooter or “Lone
Gunman.” What are the people basing the beliefs on?
Mr. Reinbold Amer. Civ. 10
Mass Media, Influencing People, and the JFK Assassination
What influences a person’s thinking/opinion about something?
A) Family Opinions
B) Friends
C) Religion
D) Opinion of the General Public
E) Political Parties
F) And ………. Mass Media
What does Mass Media include? Magazines,
Newspapers, Radio, Internet, TV, and Movies
• Do many people think everything they see on the Internet is true? – Yes
• Do many people think everything they read in magazines is true? – Yes
• Do many people think everything they see in the movies is real/true? – Yes
The “Lesson from this” ……….. Should you question what you see
on the Internet, in magazines, in movies? Of course you should
question it and not take it as automatically true just because you
saw it in print or on the Computer/TV/Movie screen.
Mr. Reinbold Amer. Civ. 10
Mass Media, Influencing People, and the JFK Assassination
 Why do people believe in Conspiracies?
• Seeking attention by making outrageous
statements
• make judgments without knowing facts
• following the beliefs of others too easily
• trying to discredit something
• paranoia
Hollywood Movies are often
made by people concerned
about making money and they
will tell their stories to
whoever they think they can
get to buy a ticket. They will
make outrageous statements,
present fiction in a somewhat
believable story, and not
always be concerned about the
impression they make an their
audience.
A Conspiracy Theory launched by a movie – 1977’s Capricorn One pushed
the theory of the Gov’t staging the 1969 Moon landing in a Movie studio
Mr. Reinbold Amer. Civ. 10
Mass Media, Influencing People, and the JFK Assassination
Oliver Stone’s 1991 film “JFK” – the director
admitted he took “dramatic license”
(altered the truth to fit a story) with the
film but it was so well done and
entertaining that people took everything
they saw in it for fact. The Director enjoyed
the controversy the film raised since it
made the film a success and allowed him a
way to express his views (despite his
admission it wasn’t all based on facts).
Oswald Arrest –
Movie scene on
the left vs. real
footage on the
right
Mr. Reinbold Amer. Civ. 10
The Kennedy Assassination –What Happened
During a presidential trip to Dallas, this
picture shows JFK riding with Texas Gov. John
Connally near Dealey Plaza.
Mr. Reinbold Amer. Civ. 10
The Kennedy Assassination –What Happened
Moments before the first of three shots are
fired from the 6th floor of the Texas School
Book Depository, where Lee Harvey
Oswald worked.
Mr. Reinbold Amer. Civ. 10
The Kennedy Assassination –What Happened
The Zapruder Film – Local Dallas resident Abraham Zapruder uses a
video camera and happens to record the assassination on film. For
some people – the film fuels conspiracy theories about the
assassination – ranging from Cuban exiles to Castro to the Mafia to
the Soviets to dozens of other groups……
Mr. Reinbold Amer. Civ. 10
The Kennedy Assassination –What Happened
Lee Harvey Oswald
Background:
• Former Marine – expert shot with a rifle
• Disillusioned with the US Government, defects to the USSR
• Comes back to the US, now disappointed with Communism
• Oswald becomes a lost soul with deep moments of depression,
has difficulty holding a job, maintaining relationships, etc.
• Oswald then chooses to change history……JFK is assassinated in
Nov. 1963.
The Kennedy Assassination –What Happened
After the Assassination
•Less than 1 hour later, Oswald shot and killed a Dallas police officer who tried
to question him
•Oswald fled to Texas Theater where he was confronted by police and charged
with murder of officer
•November 23: Oswald named as prime suspect in JFK’s assassination
•The next day, while being transferred from the police station to the county
jail, Oswald was shot and killed by night club owner, Jack Ruby. He said he
shot Oswald to save Jackie Kennedy the pain of seeing Oswald on trial.
Mr. Reinbold Amer. Civ. 10
Mass Media, Influencing People, and the JFK Assassination
Fact vs. Fiction
Conspiracy theories rest on three major ideas:
A) Oswald wasn’t a good enough shot to act
alone – Conspiracy theories say there had to be
more than a “Lone Gunman.”
B) Oswald didn’t have enough time to fire all
three shots – Conspiracy theories say therefore
there were at least two shooters.
C) One of the bullets could not have caused as
many entry and exit points as it did, this
“Magic bullet” was responsible for too many
wounds – Conspiracy theories say that it proof
there were multiple shooters
Mr. Reinbold Amer. Civ. 10
Mass Media, Influencing People, and the JFK Assassination
The Warren Commission, led by Earl Warren, was put together to investigate
the crime. The Findings/Conclusions:
1. “Lone Gunman” – Oswald shot the President – he was
an expert marksman and one man could fire the shots in
the correct amount of seconds
2. Oswald’s rifle – ballistic match to bullets that killed the
President
3. Oswald worked in building where shots came from, only
one to flee the scene, killed policeman later that day
4. Multiple Wounds on JFK and Gov. Connally were caused
by a single bullet (conspiracy theorist called this the “Magic
Bullet”). Facts show that if the President and Governor are
shown as they were seated – one bullet could have made
the multiple wounds both men suffered
Supreme Court
Chief Justice
Earl Warren
5. Autopsy photos confirm angle and direction of the final bullet wound
Mr. Reinbold Amer. Civ. 10
Mass Media, Influencing People, and the JFK Assassination
Lyndon B. Johnson (with Jackie Kennedy next to
him) taking the oath of office on Air Force One
following the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
Mr. Reinbold Amer. Civ. 10
Mass Media, Influencing People, and the JFK Assassination
Review Questions:
1. Which of the following Presidents was NOT assassinated?
a) James Garfield
b) Abe Lincoln
c) Teddy Roosevelt
d) William McKinley
2. True or False: Despite evidence widely available, most Americans
(more than 50%) think JFK’s death was the result of a conspiracy.
3. Who was also shot in the limo along with JFK?
a) Jackie Kennedy
b) Lyndon Johnson
c) Texas Governor John Connally
d) Harry Truman
Mr. Reinbold Amer. Civ. 10
Mass Media, Influencing People, and the JFK Assassination
Review Questions:
4. Conspiracy theories label the bullet that caused multiple wounds as the
a) Invisible Bullet
b) Magic Bullet
c) Torpedo Bullet
d) Super Bullet
5. True or False: Lee Harvey Oswald was a former U.S. marine who was
considered an “expert shot” with a rifle.
6. Who shot Lee Harvey Oswald?
a) Jack Ruby
b) the Secret Service
c) Robert Kennedy (RFK)
d) Not known – the shooter was never caught
Mr. Reinbold Amer. Civ. 10