Censorship

[Towntalk]

What's so sad is that it was a LIBERAL/PROGRESSIVE President and a LIBERAL/PROGRESSIVE CONGRESS that instituted the censorship laws during World War II and it was a LIBERAL/PROGRESSIVE newsman, Elmer Davis (CBS Radio News) who headed up the agency that oversaw media war news coverage.

Now it's LIBERAL/PROGRESSIVES who want even the most sensitive information broadcast even if it meant that troops would be killed, including battle plans, troop movements, and the like.

[Why?Town]

...am i in some other country that doesn't speak English?

more so every day 

[Towntalk]

And this:

[Towntalk]

Point well taken Rick.

[Rick Rowlands]

I understand what you are saying.  The phrase "loose lips sink ships" existed for a reason.

[sfc_oliver]

Does anyone understand what I'm saying here? Or am i in some other country that doesn't speak English?

[iwasthere]

sarge as you well know, if the enemy of the state wants information about our country they have ways of obtaining without our news media reporting the whereabouts about whoever the USA does not like. our "friend" Israel is always getting caught  with their hands in the cookie jar when it comes to stealing our own government security secrets for their own benefit. friends like that who needs enemies.

[sfc_oliver]

The point , Iwasthere, is that our media gives away too much information to those who never should hear it. ie, the enemy. How many classified programs have they broadcast from we are tracking UBL by his cell phone to god knows what.

(Remember that one? we knew exactly where Bin laden was until he cut off his cell)

[iwasthere]

sarge i would take our modern day reporting modes than today's russians' modern day reporting methods.

[sfc_oliver]

Yes, even more so.

With todays more advanced communications everything the press does and says is immediately available not only to us but to our enemies. I worked Communications Security for many years and a standing joke was that Russian spy school was as simple as turning on American News.

[Towntalk]

Background:

Over the past few weeks I've built up a huge library of World War II news broadcasts from the U.S. radio networks (NBC-Red; NBC-Blue; CBS; and Mutual) and noted the stark contrast in the way the news was reported.

Now granted the news was censored, I concede that, but reporters were allowed on the front lines, and unlike the first Iraq war didn't just sit in tents behind the lines and listen to press briefings, yet despite the censorship, Americans were able to follow the progress of the war, and it was common for families to have large maps hung up on bulletin boards where they were able to map the progress themselves.

At no time after Pearl Harbor did you hear commentators question the conduct of the war the way they do today, or second-guess the generals.

Example: On D-day CBS preempted all broadcasts from 3:00 AM until Noon to cover the landing and from noon on there were lengthy interruptions. NBC-Red also preempted its regular schedule but not for as long, but also broke into regularly scheduled programs for updates.

Question:

When America is at war, should the press be censored the way they were during World War II?