New Voluntary Press Censorship

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27572, 14 December 1950, Page 7

New Voluntary Press Censorship

NZPA—Copyright TOKIO, Dec. 12.

A new voluntary press censorship to meet the “new era’’ in Korea resulting from Chinese intervention was announced today by Colonel M. P. Echols, General MacArthur's Public Relations Officer. He said there was deep concern in the United Nations top command for security of their troops, whose situation was “to say the least, quite serious.”

Since the outbreak of the Korean war the situation had changed, Colonel Echols said. At the beginning, when the United Nations faced the North Koreans, press censorship was relatively unimportant, but now the enemy’s potentialities were “ enormous,” particularly as they were in a position to throw in “certain naval and air forces." Colonel Echols gave four points on which stories would be checked for security.

1. No information on planned United Nations attacks or movements in progress. 2. No reports ot any movements with respect to United Nations boundaries, weaknesses in the United Nations positions, or undefended portions of the United Nations lines. 3. No information concerning the effectiveness of specific items of United Nations or enemy material. 4. No report of activities or locations of friendly troops except in terms of divisional units or separate United Nations forces, and then only when units are in firm contact with the enemy.