The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1918-02-04
CENSORSHIP May
Be LIFTED SINCE
PROBE OF SENATE
Public May Be Given freer
Access to Army'S DOings,
by a staff correspondent Of tho Kansas
CITY STAR

lBy a staff correspondent Of tho Kansas
CITY STAR
WASHINGTON, Jan A-As a d.
rect outgrowth Of the senate inye,ti-
cations a concerted effort is under way
here In Washington to loosen up on
the censorship. open mp some Of the
clogged information channels aud give
the American people more information
about val activities both in the army
camps here in America and with the
forces abroad II remains 90 be seen
how far the policy will 20, but It Is
known beyond doubt the events Of the
last thirty days ia the nations capital
have impressed upon the war admins
tration in a forcible manner the need
OF letting the people know more about
what Is going on, whether good or
bad. This doesn't mean that the press
agent plan adopted the first months Of
the war is to be resumed. But a real
effort is TO he made or is being made
It is known, inside the war department
particularly, to loosen up" on news.
Palmer Wants More Publicity.
II can be said fof the bureau Of pub
lie information, OF which George Creel
is the head, that II has been doing all
II could TO get more news out. but al
ways somewhere inside the military or.
ganization the lid would be clamped IN.
Military officers. trained IN a school Of
keeping everything quiet, have leaned
over backwards in news matters, on
the theory il might contain iniorma-
ton valuable to the enemy. And later,
such as in the present Investigations.
| the same information has come out and
been classed by the war department
itself as proper matter TO print. Even
the warmeSt friends OF the war admin
istration have complained al the stupid
news policy that has been pursued. Mai.
Frederick Palmer, the war correspond
ent, who has been chief censor Of Cen
eral Pershing in France. has been in
Washington for two weeks going ovor
the matter with Secretary Baker and
Mr.. Crecl. Major Palmer, Il may he
said, is working in the closest harmony
with his chief, General PerShing But
out OF the conference 1t is believed will
grow a system OF letting more informa-
ton out, that will keep the folks Il
home closer in touch abroad with af-
fairs. That President Wilson person
ally is interested in the move was in
dicated today when Secretary Tumulty
had a long conference with Chairman
Creel.
The first move to lift the censorship
ban wa made when an order was sent
to camp commanders Saturday remov-
ing the censorship on the newspaper
correspondents in the campS-Thai Or
der has been misunderstood by mary
because of its application to letter.
written for publication by soldiers il
the camps, but its purpose was to give
more freedom to getting news out OF the
camps rather than suppressing news.
Free Rein to Camp Reporters.
Under these orders camp commanders
are instructed not TO apply the censor
ship to the reporters stationed in these
camps. They are put under the volun-
tary censorship rules the correspond
entS here in Washington work under.
These rales oet forth what news Is apt
to be valuable TO the enemy and what is
not. In case Of doubt the correspond
ents can consult the military authorities
Just as they an here in Washington
This is done to give the correspond.
ents a freer rein in letting the people
at home know about the boys in camps
II conditions are bad, the reporter can
write il. All he has to do is write the
truth. If they are good, he can tell ii
In case of violation Of he censorship
rules on military information valuable
10 the enemy, the correspondent Is sub
, ject to expulsion from camp. But that
doesn't apply Of course, to camp con-
( ditions when he tells the truth. The
/ order which instructs camp command
ets to name a censor TO letters which
soldiers write for newspaper publlca-
ton is not intended to discourage the
printing Of soldiers letters, but rather
to encourage. An official of the bureau
, of public information was asked how
the order would offset the Soldier let
ter" column such as many newspapers
publish.
/ Letter Writing ENCOURAGED.
5 THAT is the very thing we want to
encourage" he said. ut is the best way
| Of keeping the folks at home in touch
,u;th rondii,Ons"