The Falklands War was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands, but while the war was raging in the archipelago, the prime minister of the UK fumed at the BBCs coverage and branded it treacherous. Margaret Thatchers political future depended on the result of the war, but the relationship between the Corporation and the government turned sour over its reporting.
The prime minister accused the BBC of assisting the enemy by discussing possible military developments before they happened. The BBCs coverage of the Falklands War was perceived to be significantly less supportive as Mrs Thatcher thought the BBC was questioning her decision to even go to war at the time. The BBC refused to refer to British troops as our boys during the conflict, to the chagrin of the Iron Lady. She wanted the BBC to refer to the troops using us or ours. She expected the press to give a report favourable to the government, but the British media, including BBC, reported the war objectively. The prime minister thought the BBC had let down the Army, the country, and had exaggerated the case of a few dissidents. The BBC angrily denied the allegations of bias.
Home Secretary Willie Whitelaw was under tremendous pressure to take control of BBC and to direct what it broadcast, intending to boost the morale of the country and the troops. During the campaign, BBC was determined to maintain its editorial independence, declaring, it is not the BBCs role to boost troops morale.
The Falklands War was not the first case where the government of the day wanted the press to report wrongly to keep up the morale of the public. That also happened during the 1971 war between Pakistan and India. During the war, a military junta ruled Pakistan. General Yahya Khan declared a state of emergency in Pakistan on 25 March 1971, and immediately imposed strict censorship on newspapers throughout Pakistan, forcing a complete blackout of news that differed from the official point of view. As a result, it was not possible to broadcast accurately and professionally.
Pakistan media kept the Pakistani public in dark during the war. The army lied to the people of Pakistan throughout the war and projected imaginary military victories
State-controlled electronic media, Radio Pakistan and Pakistan Televisionbroadcast news and programmes made to boost the morale of the public. They blared nationalistic anthems and patriotic songs, extolling heroics of the army. Half of the newspapers were owned by the government and followed government instructions. Journalists who criticised the government were denounced as traitors. Neutral reporting was dubbed as Indian propaganda. Anthony Mascarenhas was a Pakistani journalist who risked his life to report on the atrocities being committed in 1971. He knew he couldnt publish the story without risking his life, so he got it published in the UK.
All the foreign journalists were expelled from the erstwhile East Pakistan. According to the Pakistan government regulations, anybody sending inappropriate or hostile news could be imprisoned for up to two years. The military censor checked all newspaper articles. Information that reached masses was based on handouts of the government or the Ministers statements. The public was fed with misleading and biased information in the national interest and to instil a spirit of nationalism.
Pakistan media kept the Pakistani public in dark during the war. The army lied to the people of Pakistan throughout the war and projected imaginary military victories. It forced the media to report outrageous lies about the outcome of the war. The news considered to have the potential of causing subversion and disruptions were suppressed. The wholesale, planned defection of the Bengali soldiers from the Pakistan Army in the early weeks of the war was not reported.
The Morning News even editorialised that the armed forces were saving East Pakistanis from eventual Hindu enslavement. The government-controlled press played down the civil war as an uprising sponsored by the Indian government. During the period of active combat starting from late November, Morning News and Pakistan Observer projected an image of Pakistan as being in complete control of the situation. Both newspapers, till the very end of the war, kept on reporting on the advances of Pakistans troops, and the huge losses incurred by the Indian military.
While the Pakistan army surrendered on 16 December 1971, the daily Jang published a statement of Yahya Khan on 17 December, declaring that the war will continue, and we shall fight till victory is achieved. He had the gall to announce that the programme to form a representative government will not be affected and that a new constitution will be declared on 20 December 1971. On 18 December 1971, Pakistan Times brought out a scandalous lie that Pakistan accepted the Indian ceasefire offer.
Although the Pakistani press highlighted atrocities committed by Mukti Bahni against Biharis and non-Bengalis, brutality perpetrated by the Pakistan army was completely blacked out. No information about the massive migration of the Bengali population to India was reported.
The Pakistani press did not report the destruction of the Karachi harbor, the sinking of PNS Ghazi in the Bay of Bengal, and enforcement of the naval blockade of the Arabian Sea. However, the destruction of Indian ship Khukri by Pakistani submarine Hangor received prominent coverage. By maintaining the naval blockade, the Indian army was able to prevent dispatching reinforcements or evacuating by sea.
After the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Centre, the US State Department asked the US-funded Voice of America not to air an interview with Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar. State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher said that broadcasting the voice of the Taliban was not right. However, the VOA charter also calls for accurate, objective and comprehensive news and a broad spectrum of American thought and institutions.
Truth is the first casualty of any war. Other victims are suppression of freedoms of press and expression, and right of free assembly. In some sense, this is understandable because war breeds fear and fear breeds oppression in the corridors of power. Rulers strongly believe, especially in times of war, that freedom of press is subservient to patriotism and nationalism. The tension between patriotism and free press is neverending, but it is heightened during war or crisis. It is believed that censorship is necessary to protect the public from the effects of enemy propaganda. Besides, they think that the morale of the public must be boosted, even at the cost of stifling the press and allowing broadcast of misleading and biased information. Reporters are expected to hide inconvenient truths and always portray the country in a positive light. It is only over the past forty years that the civilised world has embraced the notion that the press can openly and freely criticise the government in peace or wartime.
History sheds light on the experiences of journalists who opposed the war or dictatorial regimes. During World WarI, The Masses, a revolutionary journal, took an anti-war stance, so the Postmaster General of the US stopped its circulation. The publishers and editors of The Masses were prosecuted and sentenced to prison for their criticism of the war. Moreover, among the 2,000 individuals and organisations prosecuted under the Espionage and Sedition Acts were dozens of editors and publishers.
Bertrand Russell and others openly opposed the WWI from the beginning; in 1916, Russell authored a pamphlet opposing conscription. He was subsequently sentenced to prison under the Defence of the Realm Act and fined 100. That conviction led to Russells dismissal from his lectureship at Trinity. Later, he spent nine months in Brixton prison for his outspoken pacifism.
William Dudley Pelley, journalist and activist, accused Roosevelt of being a warmonger and advocated isolationism. He opposed WWII and was convicted and sentenced to fifteen years in prison.
The political future of governments depends on the victory or defeat in war. In Argentina, the military government led by General Galtieri was suffering criticism for its oppressive rule and economic mismanagement. In a desperate attempt to prop up his beleaguered government, General Galtieri planned the invasion of Falklands. After the humiliating defeat against Britains armed forces, Galtieri was forced to resign in the wake of a large-scale public protest. Elections were held, and a civilian rule was restored.
On the other hand, the military victory gave a clear fillip to British patriotic feeling and national pride that had dwindled since the failure of the 1956 Suez campaign. Margaret Thatchers popularity soared after the conflict, and her Conservative Party won a landslide victory in 1983 parliamentary elections. She felt empowered to press ahead with her economic readjustments popularly known as Thatcherism. After the surrender of 90,000 Pakistani troops in East Pakistan, and the creation of the new state, Bangladesh, a group of angry army officers forced General Yahya Khan to resign and hand over power to Bhutto. He was then stripped of his service honours
and put under house surveillance for most of the 1970s. After being released from those restrictions in 1977, he died in Rawalpindi in 1980 in disgrace.
The writer is Chest specialist in San Francisco
More here:
Patriotism and freedom of press - Daily Times
- Jackboot - Wikipedia - December 8th, 2016 [December 8th, 2016]
- The Federalist #51 - Constitution Society - January 8th, 2017 [January 8th, 2017]
- Free oppression Essays and Papers - 123helpme - January 25th, 2017 [January 25th, 2017]
- Labour movements in Congo Brazzaville: Between oppression and self determination - CADTM.org - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- A Modern Choice on Life - Harvard Political Review - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Opinion: While true oppression exists, hypocrisy of some women is clear - Shelby Township Source Newspapers - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Understanding Information Oppression in the Era of Trump - MediaFile - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Angolans Bravery Broke Down Chains of Colonial Oppression - Minister - AllAfrica.com - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Hoosier attorneys travel to Rwanda on legal mission trip - Indiana Lawyer - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Bishop: Government has betrayed me over refugees - Premier - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Open Letter to NFL Players Traveling to Israel on a Trip Organized by Netanyahu's Government - The Nation. - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Police Disperse Shiite Protesters Demanding Release Of El-Zakzaky - SaharaReporters.com - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Turkey's HDP Women's Assembly issues feminist call-to-arms against 'one man rule' - Left Foot Forward - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Collin Nji: The first African to win Google's CodeIn Challenge - Pulse ... - Pulse Nigeria - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Student leader says 'black-on-black crime is not a thing,' wants to ... - The College Fix - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Sri Lanka: Tamil Insurgents Marxism Versus Nationalism - Sri Lanka Guardian - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Israeli Knesset 'legalizes' robbery of Palestinian land - Liberation - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- LETTER: Evangelical Lutheran Church respond to political cartoon - The Dickinson Press - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Visiting Our Past: Odyssey of Clyde pioneer Jacob Shook - Asheville Citizen-Times - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Organize to defeat Trump's Muslim ban | Fight Back! - Fight Back! Newspaper - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Do we have a legitimate government? - Altoona Mirror - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Anti-Castro Cuban-American lawmakers see a champion in Trump - The Daily Progress - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Anti-Trump Swedish Government Accused of Hypocrisy for Kowtowing to Iran - Heat Street - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- CSG President vetoes Israel-Palestinian lunch resolution | The ... - The Michigan Daily - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- Sweden's 'Feminist' Government Defends Veiling in Iran After Attacking Trump - Breitbart News - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- U. Mass Students Plot Strike Against 'Oppression' of Migrants - Breitbart News - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- March on Washington: Drawing the Line between Empowerment and Oppression - The Index - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Ethiopian Athlete Who Made Anti-government Gesture in Rio Reunites With Family - Voice of America - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Mottley: Tax clearance certificate an 'instrument of oppression' - Loop Barbados - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Sweden's 'feminist' government criticized for wearing headscarves in Iran - Washington Post - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Turkey purge: dark cloud of oppression hangs over country's universities - Times Higher Education (THE) (blog) - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Fox News' Todd Starnes Redefines 'The Deplorables' - Forward - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Christophobia: a Global Perspective - AINA (press release) - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- AzaadiFreedom from Indian Oppression - Economic and Political Weekly - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Iraqi forces advance on Islamic State-held western Mosul - Stars and Stripes - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Henry Rollins Doesn't Smoke Pot, But Demands The Right to Choose To - Weed News - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- UC San Diego Students Protest Visit by 'Oppressive and Offensive' Dalai Lama - Heat Street - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Commentary | We must all stand with Tibet - The McGill Daily (blog) - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- In Trump's America, Christian proselytizing is another form of oppression - LGBTQ Nation - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Elders share experiences with oppression from their youth - B.C. Catholic Newspaper - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Iran tells US chess champion to wear a hijab here's how she responds - TheBlaze.com - February 22nd, 2017 [February 22nd, 2017]
- Afro-Mexican people brought to light - The Daily Evergreen - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- Online activism is leading the fight against oppression but at what cost? - Asian Correspondent - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- Stephen Miller was no hero fighting left-wing oppression at Santa ... - Los Angeles Times - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- Grass-roots leaders join call for 'disrupting' oppression that hurts many - Catholic News Service - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- President Trump Breaks a Promise on Transgender Rights - New York Times - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Pussy Riot Protests Through Make America Great Again Viral Video - Conatus News - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Governor Treen brought sunshine to Louisiana governmental conservatism - Bayoubuzz - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- I want an international probe into failed Turkey coup Fethullah Glen - Citifmonline - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Lateral Oppression Hurts Us All - The Lakota Country Times - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- On finding freedom from oppression, fear - Davisclipper - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Supreme Court denies bail to leading anti-base activist in Okinawa; government accused of oppression - The Japan Times - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Disobedience Checks Unjust Laws - The Oberlin Review - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Cycles and Oppression - Patheos (blog) - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Another Jewish cemetery desecrated; what will the President say? Isn't the government supposed to help? - San Diego Jewish World - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- Transport groups hold nationwide transport strike to protest government's PUV modernization program - CNN Philippines - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- Opinion: The Relevance of Orwell's 1984 - Emertainment Monthly (registration) (blog) - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- Monitoring group documents Turkey-backed profiling in Netherlands - Turkey Purge - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- What should we see in the ashes of the Standing Rock protest camp? - Liberation - February 28th, 2017 [February 28th, 2017]
- Opinion: Focusing on religious oppression in China misses the big ... - CNN - February 28th, 2017 [February 28th, 2017]
- Trump Vows Teamwork with 'Allies in the Muslim World' to 'Demolish and Destroy ISIS' - Breitbart News - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- Freedom House: Chinese Communists Intensifying Religious ... - Voice of America - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- ISIS Threatens China In New Video Showing Chinese Jihadists - Vocativ - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- Focusing on religious oppression in China misses the big picture - Gant Daily - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- This Is Why The Youth Is Picking Up Arms In Kashmir - Youth Ki Awaaz - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- Saudi Arabia: Music video and government initiatives split society - Freemuse - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- From Latin America to South Africa: it's time for effective solidarity towards Palestine - The Daily Vox (blog) - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- Focusing on religious oppression in China misses the big picture - CNN International - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- Articles: Islam, the Veil, and Oppression - American Thinker - American Thinker - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- UK's student union rebukes officer for Israeli embassy plot - The Electronic Intifada (blog) - March 4th, 2017 [March 4th, 2017]
- Public needs to help get government back on track - Fairfield Daily Republic - March 4th, 2017 [March 4th, 2017]
- Shahbaz Bhatti's legacy six years on - DAWN.com - March 6th, 2017 [March 6th, 2017]
- The Readers' Forum: Monday letters - Winston-Salem Journal - March 6th, 2017 [March 6th, 2017]
- Focusing on religious oppression in China misses the big picture - CNN - March 6th, 2017 [March 6th, 2017]
- How America Became a Colonial Ruler in Its Own Cities - Vanity Fair - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Plurality of Americans are right: "dissatisfaction with government" worst problem facing country - Hilltop Views - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- The Oppression of Eve: Was Patriarchy Actually The First Sin? - Patheos (blog) - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Thousands in women's rights march in Polish capital - National - thenews.pl - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Probe: Artist Blacklist Antidemocratic Oppression - KBS WORLD Radio - KBS WORLD Radio News - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Peoples' Tribunal Indicts Myanmar Leaders for Genocide Against Rohingya, Atrocities Against Kachin - The Chicago Monitor - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]