Code of Wartime Practices for American Broadcasters
Files
Title
Code of Wartime Practices for American Broadcasters
Description
This pamphlet is a revision of the first Code of Wartime Practices for American Broadcasters issues five months previously. It contains guidelines for voluntary censorship related to "News" and "Programs." Because of the international character of radio broadcast, certain types of information was to be kept off air, including weather; troop locations, strength and movements; damage by enemy attacks; naval or air force information; fortifications; rumors or unconfirmed reports; diplomatic information; and information regarding the new location of art objects or national archives.
Telephone calls were not to be aired as they could not be vetted; likewise prohibited were quiz shows and other programs where the enemy might usurp the microphone or an audience member might inadvertantly share information that could aid the enemy.
Pamphlet is signed "The Office of Censorship, Byron Price. Director. June 15, 1942"
Excerpts:
p.2 "...it is the responsibility of every American to help prevent the dissemination of information which will be of value to the enemy and inimical to the war effort....
To combat these dangers effectively, broadcast management must be in complete control of all programming every minute of every day of operation. That accomplished, the broadcasting industry will have fulfilled an important wartime obligation."
p. 8 "Radio is requested to avoid dramatic programs which attempt to portray the horrors of war, and sound effects which might be mistaken for air raid alarms, or for any other defense alarms."
"Broadcasters should ask themselves, 'Is this information of value to the enemy?' If the answer is 'Yes,' they should not use it."
Telephone calls were not to be aired as they could not be vetted; likewise prohibited were quiz shows and other programs where the enemy might usurp the microphone or an audience member might inadvertantly share information that could aid the enemy.
Pamphlet is signed "The Office of Censorship, Byron Price. Director. June 15, 1942"
Excerpts:
p.2 "...it is the responsibility of every American to help prevent the dissemination of information which will be of value to the enemy and inimical to the war effort....
To combat these dangers effectively, broadcast management must be in complete control of all programming every minute of every day of operation. That accomplished, the broadcasting industry will have fulfilled an important wartime obligation."
p. 8 "Radio is requested to avoid dramatic programs which attempt to portray the horrors of war, and sound effects which might be mistaken for air raid alarms, or for any other defense alarms."
"Broadcasters should ask themselves, 'Is this information of value to the enemy?' If the answer is 'Yes,' they should not use it."
Creator
U. S. Government Office of Censorship
Source
M 172, Box 5, Radio Speech Material 1937-46, Calvin T. Lucy Papers 1914 - 1978, James Branch Cabell Library, VCU Libraries
Publisher
United States Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C.
Date
1942 June 15
Contributor
Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library, VCU Libraries
Rights
The organization that has made the Item available believes that the Item is in the Public Domain under the laws of the United States, but a determination was not made as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. The Item may not be in the Public Domain under the laws of other countries. Please refer to the organization that has made the Item available for more information.
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/
Notes
Annotate a PDF of this document with hypothes.is
Collection
Citation
U. S. Government Office of Censorship, “Code of Wartime Practices for American Broadcasters,” Social Welfare History Image Portal, accessed April 25, 2024, https://images.socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/items/show/339.