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
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