The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1918-04-15
War Censor's Blue Pencil
Mightier Than 42-Centimeter
Cannon, Shepherd Declares

daily--waS highly pfo.enemy, and the
country editor, IN sarcastic vein, had
black typed certain sentences In such a
way as 10 make II. appear that he con
sidefed them pfepoNerous and unworthy
Of belief The correspondent had 10 ex-
plain, al great length, that he had not
sent the story 10 the little country news
paper, and that he was not responsible
for the headlines and the blackened
type. Fully six weeks passed before
this correspondent was finally assured
that the German war office did not hold
him responsible for the story, six weeks
being the time required for an agent in
the United States TO look up the little
newspaper in question and verify the
correspondents explanation.
Every Word Is Weighed.
Every word OF war news which
comes from Europe 10 the eyes OF the
American public has been weighed by
censofs as carefully as precious stones
are weighed by diamond merchants
One tiny word. or arrangement Of
words may send TO the bottom Of the
sea great ship or may cost lives Of
thousands OF men IN the field. It's all
up TO the censor
Father IL dead" ran a cable
gram from Sweden TO New York
which passed through the British
censorship.
For some inexplieAbls reason
the censor didn't like the word
dead" Ne changed II TO -ds-
ceased"
Witkn q short hme this question.
sent from New York 10 Sweden.
passed through the hands OF the
same esnsor: rs father dead or de-
ceasedH
What did mat word dead" mean1
II might have covered a whole volume
OF enemy news; il might have pro-
voked disaster on land or sea. And yel
the censor had no better reason for cut
ting Il out than a certain "hunch"
which came over him that the word
ought to be changed .
Censor Job Not Easy.
me more | see OF the censor's Job
the more | sympathiye with the censor,
and the more | prefer 10 be the man
who writes the stuff rather than the
one who censors It. The mistakes OF a
writing man IN war time can hardly be
fatal, but the error OF a censor may
flame out in a catastrophe at any time.
With unlimited power, he has the right
to give himself the benefit Of the doubt
every time a doubt arises, And person.
ally don't blame him for doing il.
An excellent illustration OF how the
censors are always on the alert comes
TO my mind in connection with an in
terview that | had with Winston
Churchill when he was first lord Of the
British admiralty in the early war days
At last the interview was finished
and written exactly as il was 10 go
Mr.. Churchill, one evening at o'clock,
put his signature to II, called his secre-
tary and said, please take Mr.. Shep-
herd to the censor's office and intro
duce him. Tell the censor that the in
NlAil ~ All llkHls
was led through a maze OF gloomy
Railways, lighted in part by gas, TO a
doorway which bore the legend, Naval
Censor" a
This Is Sir So-and-So, the naval
censor" said the secretary, presenting
me 10 strong-featured, iron-gray-
haired man. This is Mr.. Shepherd,
an American journalist, who is sending
an interview with the first lord TO
America tonight"
VERY we'll" said the man Of title,
well take care Of it," The secre-
tary departed
81 want to write just a few words
to lead the story" | said | explained
that my manuscript contained only the
interview, and that it would be neces-
Sary TO write a short introduction.
When he had finished he looked up
into my face and said, you want to
write an introduction to this, huh2"
yes" | answered. ut starts out
too abruptly for an American news
paper story"
He hesitated a minute. Then he
said, "All right Write it here. But
listen No flubdub" He looked me
squarely in the eye.
| knew what he meant by that phrase,
mo fubdub" He meant, These fell
lows around here may trust you, but
| don't. I'm the censor and you're a
newspaper man. Every reporters
wrong I'm to me until he proves he's
right | know you've got an interview
with the first lord of the British ad-
miralty know its what you call
big newspaper stunt and that by to-
rnorrow morning vou think ~ will he