While the press revels in the Allies defeat of Germany, they fail to report that Hitler has achieved a gruesome victory: he has won the war against the Jews. Two-thirds of Europe’s Jews are dead, and those who survive have little left but the clothes on their backs. The Nuremberg trials reveal the incredible brutality of the Nazi’s "Final Solution" but the plight of the Jews soon fades from the public’s consciousness, as the cold war takes center stage.

The word " Holocaust" with a capital H does not even enter our vocabulary until the 1970’s. Public attention turns to the survivors of the Holocaust after an NBC miniseries in 1978. The opening of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the film "Schindler’s List" renew interest during the 1990’s. In the years 1995 and 1996, the New York Times ran 532 Holocaust related stories, many on the front page. This compares to just 1100 stories from 1939 to 1945. The New York Times publicly admited its Holocaust coverage was "grossly inadequate."

Eventually scholars gain access to formerly top secret government files, and uncover the United States role in the Holocaust: that of passive bystander. While it is tempting to place the blame on President Roosevelt, the government had conflicting responsibilities, both foreign and domestic. The press had only one job: to seek and tell the truth. The haunting question remains — could a more aggressive press have saved lives? Many historians agree that if the press, especially the New York Times, had consistently put the reports of Jewish slaughter on the front page, and championed the cause of rescue, that many lives could have been saved.

More recent massacres and genocides in Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe have called attention to the role the media play in focusing public attention on atrocities. When extensive press coverage ignites public outrage over mass killings, governments take action. When the press ignores or downplays atrocities, little is done to help the victims. It is the press’s responsibility to report the news fairly and accurately, and to give it the attention it deserves. In the case of the Holocaust, the press failed to meet its responsibility.