American And British Wartime News Blackout

The long history witnessed humanbeing's sufferings from numerous wars and conflicts. It also doesn't take a short time for western countries such as England and America to adopt the wartime mews blackout which is not a new thing since its origination can be dated back to the early press censorship of some countries especially of these two countries.Some state power organs and some other authority entities always impose restrictions on news interviews, reports, spreading and distribution in order to achieve the purpose of press censorship.Although disputes on wartime news blackout exist in press circles since its implementation, countries in the world still undoubtedly carry out this policy. The general principle is as simple as this sentence says: News in its own category is forbidden to either oppose or do harm to national interests but should only be beneficial to them.History shows that it is an inevitable choice of leading war situations to a more favorable direction to establish an appropriate wartime mews blackout in order to regulate the wartime spread of news more efficiently. The wartime news blackout based on this foundation develops thoroughly and completely, taking America for instance, its wartime news censorship begins to take shape as early as the breakout of the North-South War , then gradually develops and perfects itself, makes it more legal and more mature day by day in the latter wars.This thesis, taking the history of America and British wartime news blackout as its clue, the early press censorship of these two countries as the starting point and the news blackout at the Iraq war time as its ending, is intended to give a brief account of the development and evolution of American and British wartime news blackout , analyze the new methods of news blackout and discuss about to what degree does it undermine the persistent self-flaunted press freedom of Western society and what kind of new challenges it has to confront due to the nationwide spreading of the Iraqi prisoner abuse.This thesis is divided into four chapters. Chapter I is arranged to offer a survey of the early stage press censorship of Britain and America, the suppression on publication and news blackout before and after the British bourgeoisie revolution, and the news blackout during the period of American Independent War and the North-South War. Chapter II deals with the American news blackout during the two world war period and the legalization process of the press censorship. A depiction of the maturization process of the American news blackout during a series of regional wars after the World War II is provided in Chapter III. A detailed discussion of the news blackout at Iraq War time under the background of new century and its damages to the freedom of the press , and also an discussion about how can the reports of the Iraqi prisoner abuse break through the tight shackle of news blackout are all concluded in the last chapter, Chapter IV.