Rachel Jolley introduces the The Index on Censorship Magazine Big Debate: Censorship and Propaganda in Wartime, where do we draw the line? Part of Leeds Big Bookend …
During World War II there was a bombing raid on a small town, just outside Glasgow. The damage that rained down on the little town of Clydebank was one of the most destructive raids of the war. But few knew about it, not even the soldiers from the town who were away at the front, and decades later few people in Scotland still know the story.
Even today it is hard to find out the figures, around 528 people were killed, 617 seriously injured, and far more suffered some injuries. Whole streets were destroyed.
One serviceman came home unaware of a raid to find not only his home was gone, but most members of his family had died.
News on the raid was severely restricted; no filming was allowed, and the name of the town was not mentioned in news reports.
During World War I, a massive flu epidemic struck countries across the world, including the UK, causing millions of deaths. Because the world was at war, the countries involved held back from informing their citizens about the situation, probably causing thousands of extra deaths. Analysing the data, decades later, public health expert and academic Alan Maryon-Davis said that if the epidemic had been acknowledged earlier, and the public had been informed, measures could have been taken to reduce the spread of the pandemic.
Could either of these situations arise nowadays? Today, social media gives members of the public more power to distribute news and information themselves. But, as we saw recently in Turkey, governments can sometimes, if they choose to, turn off Twitter.
In times of war, citizens are often asked to take certain actions for the national interest, and both in the past and today, national newspaper editors have been asked by governments to refrain from reporting certain things. In the past week Samir El Sayid, editor of the state-run Al Ahram newspaper in Egypt was quoted on Reuters sauing: “We feel Egypt is facing danger and we will perform our duties to protect our country.”
As we approach the centenary of the start of WWI, some might argue nothing has changed. Governments are still waving their magic wands and try to get some things to disappear from the media landscape.
The risk of cutting the public off from knowledge is that it can result in terrible decisions. As we look back at the story of the WWI flu virus, can we imagine it happening again? Medical experts say it is only a matter of time before a serious epidemic does strike.
When governments cease to trust the public, the public returns the favour by ceasing to trust government. There may be justification in wartime for holding back certain information that puts lives at risk, but the bar must be very high. Looking back at history, particularly in wartime, it all too easy to see examples of decisions that have kept the public in the dark. In wartime governments find it all too easy to use the words “national security” to keep secrets, without interrogating the reasons thoroughly.
Debate the issue at Leeds Big Bookend with Major Ric Cole (Former Royal Marines Commando & Infantry Officer), Dr Chris Paterson (author ‘War Reporters Under Threat: The United States and Media Freedom’), Chris Bond (Yorkshire Post & Legacies of War) and Rachael Jolley (Editor, Index on Censorship Magazine).
When: Saturday 7th June, 12:30 – 13:45pm Where: Leeds Central Library, LS1 3AB
