NEWS FOR THE EMPIRE

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 7, 9 January 1942, Page 6

NEWS FOR THE EMPIRE

OFFICIAL FAILURES

LONDON, January 7

The Council of the Empire Press Union in its annual report criticises news facilities given the Press, and the censorship, and emphasises the fundamental fact that peoples of the Dominions, India, and the colonies need information and direction from their own Press as urgently as the British, and perhaps more urgently.

The council considers that the inclusion of Empire correspondents in Press tours and conferences is still inadequate, though neglect to include them has been more rare lately.

"Many official quarters still fail to grasp the urgency of Empire correspondents' work in interpreting the war to- the British peoples overseas," the report says. "The Greek and Crete operations were typical examples. The New Zea-

land and Australian Press .were not given an opportunity to prepare the. public of those Dominions for news of defeat in aj country where the Do-1 minions' troops were not previously j known to be fighting. BLOCKAGE OF NEWS. "The reason for. the Ministry's^ weakness is well known to be dependence on other Departments for the release of news, particularly the constant reluctance of the Admiralty and the War Office to release anything. "This reluctance, primarily based on avoidance of helping the enemy; has developed to a degree of reticence suggesting failure to grasp the importance of news as affecting, the civilian war effort. The effect of this is especially bad overseas."

The report states that the position of the overseas Press in relation to the crucial problem of censorship has definitely improved during the past year. "The new Empire penny-a-word Press rate is welcomed, and the .council hopes that the increase in traffic encouraged by the reduction will make continuation of the rate, practicable after the war," the report, states. "The authorities are. consider ing re-, ducing the high cost of telegraphing news from war zones outside the Empire. The Ministry is also considering a, proposal to give Empire Press traffic some priority in transmission over non-urgent Government traffic. TREATMENT OF 8.8.C. "The Minister was given specific in- ' stances supporting complaints that the 8.8.C. enjoyed preferential treatment compared with the Press in the distribution of official news, also supporting the assertion that the 8.8.C. disregarded some release , time embargoes in overseas bulletins, and received more indulgent and quicker censorship.

"The fighting services still have the habit of releasing news immediately .before the 8.8.C. 6 and 9 p.m. bulletins, when it could be released earlier. The committee is satisfied that all 8.8.C. news and talks are censored."