War unreality perception reporting/censorship

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Linkagain
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Joined: 13 Apr 2021, 19:04
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War unreality perception reporting/censorship

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Post by Linkagain » 17 May 2021, 17:28

Always been a bit puzzled on the Unreality of War reporting...
World war I
In prewar england there was a picture taken of 2 visting german officers won a trophy at a horse race; in 1914 the picture was reissued as having been stolen!
In the magazine Punch there was a cartoon of Britiana coming to help "innocent" Belgium under attack by Germany; yet Belgium was an oversees Empire See Sir Roger Casement reports and Joseph Conrad "River of Darkness" on how the Congo was explioted...
Lusitiana most accounts usually just focus on a cvilian liner sunk by U-boats...but not on the fact that while it had passengers above..it also carried Contraband and ammo below.....
Afghanastan War
2004 PAt tillman killed Afghastan First reports by enemy fire...the truth that it was a Friendly Fire accident

Now Censorship is a necessary evil to prevent the enemy from learning vital details...
Poor uses of it:
World war I
How for years the reports of radio singals between the Lusitiana amd the Admirlity either "missing" or cesored years after war....
World War II
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Lancastria [Incident censored by Churchill trying to keep up morale at home in the face of heavy losses ? Yet it was still exposed In German and US Publications...I suprized that the Admirally didnt report it as they usallu did ship Losses: The Admirialy reports the Loss of RMS Lancastria. Next of Kin are being notified.]
World War I Room 40 and the Ultra Secret World War II
At the time Vital to the British war Machine....postwar for years yet these were still kept under lock and key.....when by the time was ended the technolgy was obeslete
The US also had its share...four incidents:
1941 Pearl Harbor attack:
I came across a 1941 naval officer obiutary killed in hos local newspaper-which ran his photograph but refused to say what ship he had been on..or where it had been sunk within the past 2 weeks of Pearl harbor {For the record it was USS Arizona]
Five japanese mini subs were sent to attack the base -all were lost; one which was sunk in Pearl harbor was later raised and used as fill for a new pier-The US navy censorded part of the photograph showing the wreck because in the background were oil storage tanks- a case of locking the barn door after the horse had left since the IJN had already seen the tanks (during the attack!
1942 after winning the Battle of Midway....a Chicago news paper ran a story of how the US had cracked Japanese Codes...one of the most vital secrets of the war ..not stopped by the reporter; the newspaper publisher or the US Censorship board
1944 it is alleged a US Congressman gave a press meeting in which it was revealed that US Submarines managed to evade IJN depth charges by diving to a certain depth..again account not censored

Any other examples Come to mind...?

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