BRITISH COUNTER TO PROPAGANDA

Southland Times, Issue 23345, 1 November 1937, Page 7

BRITISH COUNTER TO PROPAGANDA

Foreign Broadcasts Planned RADIO “WAR” AGAINST ITALY AND GERMANY (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright) (Received October 31, 6.30 p.m.) LONDON, October 30. Moving the Labour amendment to the Address-in-Reply, Mr Herbert Morrison in the House of Commons asked why it was that Britain was nearly the only country in the world not broadcasting news in foreign languages. t The Postmaster-General (Major G. C. Tryon) said the Government had been considering for some time broadcasting in foreign languages and had now decided to do so. “I want to say that when we send out news it will be straight news, as I am sure everybody on both sides of the House would wish it to be, and not the sort of propaganda that goes out from some foreign countries—not to their credit and not for the better information of the people who listen to them,” said Major Tryon. The announcement was received with cheers. The political correspondent of the Australian Associated Press understands that Arabic and Spanish are the chief languages in Britain’s foreign broadcasting plans—Arabic to combat Italian propaganda in the Near East, Spanish to offset German propaganda in South America. The broadcasts will aim at an adequate “cover” of daily news for countries at present at the mercy of propagandists. Commenting on the Governments decision, The Times recalls that there have been frequent complaints of antiBritish propaganda broadcast regularly from Bari (Italy) in Arabic and other languages of the Near and Middle East, as well as in some of the languages of India. “At one time the Government seemed to think that this attempt to poison the atmosphere could safely be treated with contempt; latterly, however, it has taken a less complacent view, of the possible effect of this kind of propaganda,” it says. “It may be taken for granted that no attempt will be made to answer propaganda by counter-propaganda. The object of the service is not to play tit for tat, but to supply straight news.” The Daily Telegraph says: “Not all the programmes now being broadcast in foreign languages are necessarily propaganda, or at any rate propaganda of an undesirable kind, but a great many of them are scandalously subversive, and the British Empire has been among the worst sufferers from this subtle species of peace-time aggression.” “The tradition of impartiality of objectivity the 8.8. C. has already established should be helpful here," says The Daily Herald. “If Daventry establishes that kind of reputation on the international world of listeners it will be doing the kind of work which the British people want to see it do; it will probably be a most popular international station as well.”

The Manchester Guardian says: “No one would wish to see this country adding to the world’s difficulties by wireless attacks on its neighbours. But a British service that utilizes some of the other most widely spoken of the world’s languages to put forward, accurately and dispassionately, the British attitude, should when it is perfected be of much value.”