Archive for 2009

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[ecrea] Secrecy and the Media

Mon Jun 08 17:03:44 GMT 2009



 Keeping Britain's Secrets Under Wraps........
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<http://tandf.msgfocus.com/c/1aU2aVD7wXqpv07rB>Secrecy and the Media
The Official History of the United Kingdom's D-Notice System
Government Official Histories Series

Nicholas Wilkinson, former Press Complaints Commissioner

'An important and absorbing book, surprisingly amusing at times for an official history. Admiral Wilkinson charts the troubled history of the D-Notice system, that great British compromise between national security and freedom of the press, and shows how it has been tested almost to destruction in peace and war over the past century, yet somehow survived. The D-Notice system is much misunderstood, even by journalists: this book will dispel many myths and provide an indispensable reference point for future debates.' Donald Trelford, former Editor of The Observer, Emeritus Professor in Journalism Studies at Sheffield University

Secrecy and the Media is the first book to examine the development of the D-Notice system, which regulates the UK media's publication of British national security secrets. It is based on official documents, many of which have not previously been available to a general audience, as well as on media sources.

The book traces the development of this system from nineteenth-century colonial campaigns, through two world wars, to modern operations and counter-terrorism in the post-Cold War era, up to the beginning of the Labour government in 1997. Examples are drawn from media, political and official sources (some not yet open), and cover not only defence issues (including Special Forces), but also the activities of the secret intelligence services MI5, MI6 and GCHQ. These cases relate principally to the UK, but also to American and other allies' interests.

The story of how this sometimes controversial institution now operates in the modern world will be essential reading for those in the media and government departments, and for academics and students in the fields of security, defence and intelligence, as well as being an accessible exposé for the general reader.

'This book is a 'must-read' for all journalists, espionage writers and other aficionados of the intelligence scene, historians and citizens who cherish the right to know, within the bounds of reasonable security, what is being secretly perpetrated in their name.'
H. Chapman Pincher, journalist, author

'Nick Wilkinson has done us all an enormous service and at a crucial moment in history. Like all great stories, this one is fascinating, packed with information and facts, and brilliantly tells us about the struggles between Whitehall and the media. This is not just history for historians but a must for anyone who cares about our freedoms and how they are protected.' Andre Singer, Adjunct Research Professor of Anthropology, University of Southern California

<http://tandf.msgfocus.com/c/1aU2ddQiqdhfMT3w2>More information / order a copy

Secrecy and the Media was reviewed in the Guardian today by Richard Norton-Taylor

<http://tandf.msgfocus.com/c/1aU2fw3tjt864LZAt>Read the Guardian review

Government Official Histories Series

<http://tandf.msgfocus.com/c/1aU2hOgEcIYWmEVEU>Browse the other titles in this series

Routledge Catalogues


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Nico Carpentier (Phd)
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Vrije Universiteit Brussel - Free University of Brussels
Centre for Studies on Media and Culture (CeMeSO)
Pleinlaan 2 - B-1050 Brussels - Belgium
T: ++ 32 (0)2-629.18.56
F: ++ 32 (0)2-629.36.84
Office: 5B.401a
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European Communication Research and Education Association
Web: http://www.ecrea.eu
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E-mail: (Nico.Carpentier /at/ vub.ac.be)
Web: http://homepages.vub.ac.be/~ncarpent/
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