New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-10-10
More Trouble for the British Censor

About a fortnight ago the British Home
Secretary in defending himself against
torrent of severe criticism laid it down
as a BROAD principle" that in time Of war
people must necessarily put up with a
great deal of inconvenience for the sake
of greater things; and from this undenia-
bic generality he drew the particular con-
clusion that in the conduct of the Press
Bureau it was better sometimes to fall
into the error of Withholding a harmless
piece of news than accidentally to make
the enemy gift Of information that might
enable him to do mischief.
If the censor-or rather the censors, for
it is apparent that no one is directly re-
sponsible to the House of COmmons-had
really been guided by such considerations
alone there would have been little COM
plant of the Press Bureaus activities.
But from the very first it has been quite
clear that the regulation of news has been
governed by all sorts of motives which
nave nothing whatever to do with frus-
trating the knavish tricks of the enemy.
Ii was hoped when the enormous follies
of the censor were exposed last winter that
public opinion would force a wholesome
reform, but in reality the new method of
censorship seems to perpetuate many Of
the folhes that prevailed under the old
system and to amplify them with follies
peculiarly its own.
There is now a new outburst Of indig-
nation, and for the moment it seems pos
sible that the government may be obliged
to establish some new system. What the
London papers complain Of so bitterly is
not the suspension Of news that might be
Of value to the enemy, but the policy aptly
described by "The Morning POST as
'eugared secrecy" The notion that the
+ Germans can be kept in the dark by with
holding disagreeable information from
British readers is one that the censors
in London seem to have chung to as a
valuable tradition ever since the Audacious
ran into a mine off Tough Swilly. 1t can
only be justified by supposing that the
\ Germans read nothing but English papers.
or regard them as the only ones that
are really trustworthy. And even on that
doubtful supposition it is hard to account
for all the eccentricities of the official
editors. For instance, in editing German
official coD,muniqu6s that pass through
; England on their way hither it is appar-
: emily the custom to cut out all particulars
concerning the casualties Of the British
! including the number of prisoners taken
= in the field. IL is obvious that these fig
! Tres, being based on German estimates
cannot be suppressed on the pretence of
] deceiving the enemy. II, on the other
hand, the censors have neutral readers in
mind, as seems 10 be the case, their eau.
tion is equally unaccountable, for they must
, know that day later the deleted pas.
, sages will surely be restored by wireless
The evident truth is that the gentlemen
who select news for British readers have
serious misgivings about the stability OF
British nerves and fancy that somehow
hey can keep up the spirit of the people
10y administering bitter pills with plenty
Of Jam. IN too many cases the pill is left
out and the people get nothing but the
Jam; but the worst is that sooner or later