BRITISH CENSORSHIP SYSTEM

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 196, 17 May 1944, Page 8

BRITISH CENSORSHIP SYSTEM

Press Delegates’ Comment (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, May 15. Messrs. E. V. Dnmbletou (Auckland "Star”), W. A. Whitlock (“Hawke’s Bay Ilerald-Tiibiine”), and P. H. 2s. Frecth '(the “Press”), the three daily newspaper editors who recently returned to the Dominion from the United Kingdom, today made the following' statement: "While in the United Kingdom we wrote a number of articles which were cabled to New Zealand and published. In one we described the British system of censorship and compared it with that in force in the Dominion. We had learned of the British system from chief Press censor, Admiral G. P. Thomson, from leading officials in the organization, the headquarters of which we visited, and from discussions with London newspaper men. Since -our return we have rend a comment by the Director of Publicity, who asserted that the article contained mis-statements. “The alleged mis-statements seem to consist of one, namely, ottr description of the British censorship system as volun"tary. This the Director of Publicity disputes. His. dispute is not with us. 'The description cabled to New Zealand was based entirely on official memorandum given to us for our guidance by a British censorship official, who explained the organization to us. We dare to suppose that his understanding of the system is to be preferred to that of the Director of Publicity. In the memorandum it is clearly set out that the British censorship falls into two categories, the first of which is ‘matter for publication within the United Kingdom, which is not subject to compulsory censorship.’ “As the director also saw fit to throw doubt on the quality of the British censorship by quoting an attack upon it. we may be allowed to quote the published statement of an independent and authoritative observer, namely, the chief correspondent in London of the ‘New York Times.’ In reporting that the censorship of invasion news would be co-ordin-ated largely by British officials, he said that the arrangement had the heartiest endorsement of the American Press correspondents in London. He added: ‘Admiral Thomson and his officials are largely responsible for developing wartime censorship as a strict, rule of Jaw and for the prevention of its extension to matters of domestic and foreign polities, or in fact anything beyond the bare necessities of military security.’ We commend this judgment, to the attention of newspaper readers in New Zealand, inclt^jifl£ i the..Director ,of Ptjbli.city,”