Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-04-19
EDITOR
CENSORSHIP PROBLEMS AND
POSSIBILITIES

Loyal acquiescenee in the request of ltr navy de
partment that newspapers cease publishing ARR
walls we'll az departures Of vessels will be given
by the island press Readers of the Star Bulletin
if they find the ship news columns somewhat
meager and abbreviated. will understand that the
newspapers are CARRYING out the ideas Of officials
in Washington necessary precautions. These
precautions to prevent, as far as possible. news
Of the movements Of naval and MERCHANT vessels OF
the United States and the Allies from reaching the
enemy. = =
This whole question Of censorship just now Is
arousing wide comment on the mainland. In gen,
eral. the influential newspapers Aagfee Hhat
the censorship on facts shOnld be rigid as mill
try necessity dictates bnf they agree also that any
movement military or evil TO limit the freedom
of ideas viii not he tolerated by the AmericallIeo
pie. In other words. fair and intelligent criticism
of events is not only Justified but imperative If
the democratic character of government is to he
preserved On this line the Philadelphia Public
Ledger apty observes:
From the beginning of the present war rigid
censorship has been imposed in England. This cen
sorship has been directed without vision without
proper OF the valne of liberal criticism appar
emily without any realization of the historical sgn
ficance OF freedom OF Speech From the first II has
been essentially Prlssan censorship, institu
ton designed TO defeat the established traditions on
democracy. Its fundamental error mas been the fal
ure discriminate between military information and
legitimate critical opinion; between facts and ideas;
between the material and the spiritual elements of
tho news .."I -
This discrimination must be Of the very essence
OF liberal censorship On the side of facts, the
terial side of the news. 1t must bear down with
heavy hand But the side OF ideas, the spirit
ual side OF the news 1t should impose absolutely
restrictions. Criticism and opinion should be
free in times OF peace If it is sound it will be
Of public value: IL It is weak it will work its
destruction. II is precisely on this score that the
present British censorship has throughout the war
been one of Englands most insdious enemies.
This statement needs no further confirmation than
the instance OF the Dardanelles campaign. When
remember that throughout this campaign the news
papers OF England were full Of the most extraOrdn-
airy misinformaton calculated to create a public
confidence in the operation which it did any
time deserve, we cannot fail to that the censor
ship in reality doing both the government and
public opinion serious injury Had the truth been
allowed to out, had criticism of the operation
been free to express ITSELF Ii Is apparent that of two
things would Immediately have happened Either
the Troops at the Dardanelles would have been re-
epfprced.or they would have been withdrawn. As
1t was, they allowed to remain in disastrous
military situation until conditions got bad that
the whole campaign had to be abandoned
All the while sthe British public had been led to
suppose that the operation was being measurably
successful When the crash came the effect upon
public opinion was shocking. In the midst of such
complete disillusiontpent the mind of the English
people inevitably swung toward reactionasy policies
I 0feourse newspaper criticism should not degen
krate into petty, faultfinding mean nagging slurs
or destinations which cannot be backed up with
facts. And in the times of national stress every
newspaper owes it to unity to stand by the duly
constituted authorities until it is obvious that they
are on the wrong rpad, Hair trigger attacks on
public officials are distinctly improper. ~
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