Censorship; the Canadian News Media and Afghanistan: A Historical Comparison with Case Studies

Abstract

Official censorship of the news media by the Canadian government

has only occurred twice in the history of the nation: during the First

and Second World Wars. Yet, the news media was quick to use the word

"censorship" when the first ground rules agreement for the news media was

developed by the Canadian Forces during the 1991 Persian Gulf War to restrict

what journalists aboard its ships could write about. Canada's involvement

in the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan provides

a rich opportunity to examine whether the Canadian news media faces either

official or unofficial censorship in its reporting on the war in Kandahar, the

Canadians' area of responsibility.

 case study research and to compare and contrast the Canadian news media's

coverage of selected Canadian combat operations during the First and Second

World Wars, the Korean War, the 1991 Persian Gulf War, the 1999 Kosovo air

war and in Afghanistan. This study suggests that journalists and the military

alike have both been involved in censorship at different times and to varying

degrees throughout these conflicts.

It  also provides an opportunity to conduct