EMPIRE WAR NEWS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20659, 9 January 1942, Page 3

EMPIRE WAR NEWS

OFFICIALS CRITICISED LACK OF FACILITIES UNNECESSARY DELAY (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. Jan. 9, 9 a.m.) LONDON, Jan. 8. The council of the Empire Press Union in its annual report, criticises the news facilities and censorship and emphasises the fundamental fact that the peoples of the Dominions, India and the Colonies need information and direction from their own press as the British, and perhaps more urgently. The council considers that the inclusion of Empire correspondents in press tours and conferences is still inadequate, although neglect to include them has been more rare lately. “Many official quarters still fail to grasp the urgency of Empire correspondents’ work in interpreting the war to the British people overseas,” says the report. “The Greek and Crete operations were typical examples. The New Zealand and Australian press were not given an opportunity to prepare the public of those Dominions for news of a defeat in a country where the Dominions’ troops were not previously known to be fighting. :

“The reason for the Ministry’s weakness is well known to be its dependence on other departments for the release of news, and particularly the constant reluctance of the Admiralty and the War Office to release anything. This reluctance, primarily based on avoidance of helping the enemy, has developed to a degree of reticence suggesting failure to grasp the importance of news as affecting the civilian war effort. The effect of this is especially bad overseas.” Preference to 8.8. C. The report states that the position of the overseas press in relation to the crucial problem of censorship has definitely improved during the past year. The n£w Empire penny a word press rate is welcomed. The council hopes that the increase in traffic encouraged by the reduction will make a continuation of the rate practicable after the war. The authorities were considering reducing the high cost of telegraphing news from war zones outside the Empire. The Minister was also considering a proposal to give Empire press traffic some priority in transmission over non-urgent Government traffic.

The Minister had been given specific instances supporting complaints that the British Broadcasting Company enjoyed preferential treatment compared with the press in the distribution of official news, and also supported an essertion that the British Broadcasting Company disregarded some release time embargoes in overseas bulletins and received more indulgent and quicker censorship. Fighting services still had a habit of releasing news immediately before the British Broadcasting Company’s 6 p.in. and 8.45 p.m. bulletins when it could have been released earlier. The _ committee was satisfied that all British Broadcasting Company news and talks were censored.