During this project, I hope to test out my hypothesis that the BBC War reporting undermined the security of the British troops during the Falklands of 1982, potentially breaking the Treason Act, 1940.

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Politics and Media

The BBC, the tactless undermining of the British Forces Security and the necessity of news regulation: A Case Study of the Battle of Goose Green, 1982.

During this project, I hope to test out my hypothesis that the BBC War reporting undermined the security of the British troops during the Falklands of 1982, potentially breaking the Treason Act, 1940. The debate for and against censorship of information in media coverage is a controversial issue, especially in relation to war reporting as it can be understood that the primary purpose of the media is to provide information to the public and is therefore a public service to provide news on the country’s affairs. Free Press enables the audience to be equipped with knowledge to form opinions of their own, independent of the agenda of those in political power. However, it must be highlighted that regulations of media censorship are necessary, purely in the interests of security for those in threatening situations. It can be argued that broadcasting information that defy military censorship, endangering the life of the majesty’s forces, is officially breaking the Treachery Act 1940. My objective throughout this project is to convey the BBC as potentially having a detrimental effect to particular individuals they report and therefore must be regulated within strict guidelines in particular circumstances. I will structure this argument through firstly, analyzing the BBC’s role in the coverage of war and how this undermines security of the lives of British Forces. Secondly, I aim to study the increase of war broadcasting in the UK with an apparent correlation to the development of technology. Thirdly, I will assess the argument that this rise in technology has diminished security of British troops, breaking the Treason Act 1940 and lastly, I will present and assess empirical evidence for this argument in relation to the Battle of Goose Green of the Falklands War, 1982 using this case study as an example to relate to and avoid, in present day conflicts. The Battle of Goose Green captures the undermining of security of the British Troops and proves such tactless war reporting as most insensibly, the BBC World Service announced the military operation of taking Goose Green before it was even launched. This acted as forewarning for the Argentines of the surprise attack and as a result allowing them to prepare for the assault, tarnishing the allies’ successes as British casualties escalated. For the purpose of this argument, I will use this battle as a case study throughout to demonstrate the media as a predominantly negative force in wartime.

 “The two themes of censorship and information policy attracted more debate and more complaint than any other aspect of the coverage of the Falklands campaign.” (Morrison & Tumber, 1988, p.189). This demonstrates the common concern between the public’s democratic right to be informed and the Government’s responsibility to protect the lives of the people. The Freedom of Information Act states that “Without this freedom, democratic life as it is known in Britain would be impossible” (Welsh, Greenwood & Banks, 2000, p.370), supporting the necessity for people to be equipped to make educated choices.  However, the reason that this is so controversial in warfare of late is because since World War Two, there’s been no threat to the security of the nation itself. Currently our country is deployed in other countries (Iraq, Afghanistan etc) and therefore, the lives and the privacy of the servicemen and women should still be considered, Due to modern warfare, coverage of the war is easily transmitted across the globe and media, therefore may act as an aid to the enemy and their allies, out of the MoD’s control. This point demonstrates that in particular situations, considering other law developments (anti terrorism legislations, Official Secrets Act (Welsh, Greenwood & Banks, p.370)); some form of censorship should be enforced to avoid undermining security of those most vulnerable.

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In the past, any censorship attempts have created speculation amongst the media towards the government in power and the Ministry of Defense. During the Falklands war when Conservatives governed, this seemed to create the greatest controversy as the latter was accused of using ‘operational security’ as an excuse for delaying and censoring information, supposedly allowing the Government to hide their poor organization and the absence of any agreed procedure among the services (Morrison & Tumber, 1988, p.189). It seems these accusations were the media’s insensitive response to a forty eight hour blackout on the news from the Falkland Islands (Harris, ...

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