Censorship means the control of information seen by the public. This was not necessarily a positive aspect, they sent out ‘doctored articles’ for example the amount of German bombers shot down was exaggerated. This meant that a lot of important information was not written or broadcasted on the radio, sometimes they changed statistic numbers lower than they were. They constantly manipulated the media by using this method to bring up the spirits of the citizens. However, this was not the only tactic used by the government. Propaganda was a way of brainwashing the public, by printing happy pictures or printing articles of bravery in the newspapers, and using the radio to get across messages. The government constantly contradicted themselves, by saying the British people were the first to know about death tolls or accidents. Photographs showed people with big smiles gathering were not shown; this would give out too many negative messages to the public.
On the 9th of September 1940, the Daily Herald published this account;
‘East London paused for a moment yesterday to lick its wounds after what had been planned by Hitler as a right terror. But it carried on. During a five hour tour of the bombed area, I met only one person who was fed up- a youth who complained that there were not enough shelters.’
This is a clear example of the government covering up the truth from the citizens. From stories of Heroism, bravery and patriotic pictures were printed on the front pages of the newspapers. St. Paul’s is the most famous example of this, it was doctored and clouds of flames had been added to make it look more dramatic, it was standing out among the destruction.
‘I have not had any sleep in days, and I can’t get the blood off of my shirt, I am tired and want this to end’
This account was suppressed by the Daily Herald, and not released until after the war. This is because the government wanted the Brits’ to feel constantly safe, by publishing attacks and destruction of underground stations, it would cause fear and a lot of people would have nowhere to shelter. Winston Churchill and George VI visited London to see the damage for themselves; this created an instant connection with the people who were suffering. They realized that they were not going through this alone. Churchill walked the streets crying as he saw the damage, he was a powerful speaker, and his messages were broadcasted over the radio. This form of brainwashing boosted the morale of the people even more. For example Lord Haw Haw was hanged after the war, because of his negative messages he was spreading to Britain via Germany. I have concluded that the government had success in achieving to hide the ‘truth’ form the public about the Blitz and maintain the countries moral; by using censorship and propaganda.
