New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-10-30
WAR CORRESPONDENTS
OPERATION OF THE CENSORSHIP N
SOUTH AFRICA-AN IMPROVED Sys.
TEN OF OFFICIAL BULLETINS.

The war correspondents arc not allowed to %
to the front when battle is impending in
Natal This is the reluctant confession which
IS wrung from Mr.. Bureigh and his colleagues
in the field The most rigorous censorship o,
press dispatches which has ever been known at
hoadauarters In the British Army has prevented
disclosure Of the preliminary manmuyres and
Arrangement Of forces The has been IN
progress for ten days but the Intelligence which
the London journals have drawn from their
special correspondents has been meagre and IN
satisfactory Every dispatch from Ladysmlth
shows unmistakablc signs Of sweeping use Of
the official blue pencil. The Censorship had dis
armed the correspondents before thc battle but
they were confident that restrictions would be
removed when the contending armies were IN
line and ready for action. This Illusion was
denolled when they were Informed that they
must remain in the rear. where they could not
witness what was going on in front The order
may be modified as time goes on, but as Il
stands II is an embargo upon the activities u
rho war CORRESPONDENT. II compels him 70 de-
s,rib. a battle without seeing IL. and 10 obtain
his information at second hand from STAFF Of
hcers In the rear.
The number Of correspondents and press
ao.n,s now IN South Africa is vari0usly ost-
mated II cannot De- less than seventy ana II
may be as high az TWO hundred. The London
Journals az great expense have placed fun
oorps of trained correspondents in the ielf TO
describe the war day by day and they nave
not received any Information Of real importance
which was not anticipated by the war onlce
bulletins They may succeed In securing sp'r'
tel recitais from Mafeking and kimoetiey.
whore the garrisons are small and the condi-
tons Of press censorship can be evaded by the
disratoh e special cOuriers 70 the Cape out az
r.advsmith. where the bulk Of the Britlah iorce
20 centred they are AZ the mercy Of me mead
cuartors staff II they are not allo"ru - uS7
tboir eyes on the fighting line put are CONS
nelled to remain skulking In the rear inc Na'ue
o9 their work will be seriously hnpa''e'' 0.Vh
dissertations Of battle scenes as they are '""0'eo
- rive will lack those effects OF impress'0n's'
coloring and treatment which are 50 Conspicuous
IN the work Of men like Mr.. G. W. stevens
ATTITUDE OF THE WAR OFFICE
7, must be added In Justice 10 the war Oin'e
that the editors OF the London Journals ""s
warned in advance that their speo'a' ''p
santatives in the field would not be lel' d. NV
ertv either to write OF 70 go as they p''a'e1
r was explained that the presence oi 'S's'
bod,. 81 journalists in camp wouiu De MN
vanisnt and also that license 70 teIesiaP" '"'
nous If the dav. either before or ai''' 81 '''
,o,enent would be dangerous on H'''aS
Grounds since it was highly proDaoe '"'l -
ravls or some other Boer sympalii%e' "'.-
mako some arrangement for the re'fa'iS'''.'''',
~ important Intelligence 10 the Trans al
,bov had heel wise they would nave 'o-'f'"'
u.n,. win the War Office IN practical
measures for the reduction OF 'he num- -
,,ar correspondents in active service ana 'n'
80 b..
,o, the news The consultations were Hu'''ss'
al tho war correspondents were sent OUT 10
9Th Africa without a definite UNDERSTANDINGS
ros,,acting the limitations 81 their service.
Whom the outbreak of war occurred the war
oe,ca acted promptly and effectively. IL en-
forced q thorough and critical censorship @"''
oooordtng 10 Mr. Burleish, forbade the war COZ
r,.,o,dents TO go TO the front wheh D"'''e
,,r,i,ant These orders may De re-
- ,., e th4v are allowed 10 remain opera
49,, eor the campaign the occupation OF inc
.,. CORRESPONDENT will be AZ an END
,.h. last experience Of the headquarters s'"'
%, dealing with war correspondents was no' Oh
agreeable one After the occupation oi MA
tor,n AMI the reconquest Of the Souu"" N''-
,-s.ntare. returned in triumph 10 London as
conouerlng hero. but IT vas not long nelo'e
,oagaz,ne article appeared with charges OF wan
,or cruelty in killing the wounded on the battle
cola II was from thu hand Of a specal cor
r.s,ordant who asserted that h. had personally
,,.,,raesa1 those outrages and had been informei
,hot the british soldiers had acted under orue'S
c,r,o If ais colleagues denied the story aha
described the narrator an inexperienced o0'
server Of battle scenes but the controversy "as
Az. UNPLEASANT one and was speedily dropped
THAT incident convinced many military Objects
that a war correspondent might easily he m
discreet and Alurt out superfuous truth. IL III
creased the prejudice already existing ain'"5
army officers against the presence OF arg
newsnaper corps i'm camp during war uiN'' Inc
old time argum'nt was renewed tAat precise
information about military movements must &c
suppressed. since it invariably was carried ~
some roundabout way into the enemys camp
Sir Redvcrs Butler was consulted on the su9
iect before he left London. and emphatcal'y ad-
yised the enforcement of close censorship al
rhe beadauartors of the field force and the cur
tailmcnt Of correspondents privileges.
SENSATIONAL JOURNALISM
rto War onice forecasting the public cutlery
which would bee raised if there We're rigorous
s,.,,ressf,n Of news. made special arrange
ments for facilitating ;he publication ~ ON
c,al information AT the outbreak ~ the "~F
there was carnival of folly IN caich-penny
Journalism. editions of every hue being pfinied
and havk4d at an hours of the day and nisn'
with preposterous stories of massacre 'aI'ase
and outrage There was strong public re1'.
ton against the vagaries OF silly and soi'''
journalism. and the War Oniee took ad'ah''s'
Of IL and introduced system of tins'"ei'"'
information 1t has been issuing oih'lai o''
lotns containing summaries of the authentic ~,
tengence in IFS possession. These are p'S's'
prominently in the War once. and age '"'s"'
M nv the news agencies and quickly trans,
ferred TO the bulletin boards OF the clubs anu
exchanges NeNsboys may Dee shouting the'h,
selves hoarse in the streets. but the o''1S'
news can bee had fresh from the tape "lh'e''
in thousand PLACES Yesterday ana to-1as ~" Wv