Germany,28 and later by Italy .27 The English press immediately raised a storm of protest against the banishment of correspon dents from the field ofwar,28 on the ground that if full reports were not given patriotism would be lessened ,29 recruiting hindered ,
interest decreased , distrust roused , indifference created , and nervous tension fostered. As a result of the protest the British War Office partly rescinded the order,30 later only neutral cor respondents were admitted,31 and still later the rules were relaxed to permit three groups of six correspondents each by turns to
visit the British front and each group to remain about six days each.82 These statements, illustrating the variations in the policy of a single government, seem to justify the criticism made even before the war of 1914 that " war correspondence is more than ever a duel between an exasperated official called the censor and The War Office, as a special branch of the government, has shown a growing displeasure at the presence of war correspon dents with the army. Not only have their numbers increased but
many believe that the type has deteriorated. The elaborate 36 In Belgium , only Belgian journalists were permitted to enter or to remain in the country ; no war correspondents were allowed with the British or the French forces; in Germany , the war correspondent was forbidden ,
but the General Staff gave out news. — New York Evening Post, August 18 , 1914 .
37 New York Times, May 24 , 1915. 38 " There will not be an unofficial, full, and independent account of
any action fought in the war. . . . The Government's action would be starying the nation 's interest in the greatest concern it has, and would
deprive the future historian of his materials.” — Cited from Daily Telegraph, August 19, 1914.
The London
29'" Graphic pictures of the life of the camp and incidents of the battle are the stuff that patriotism thrives on." - F . L . Bullard , Famous War Correspondents, p . 29. 30 New York Times , August 19, 1914 . In America , Frederick Palmer represented the Associated Press and shared thenews with all news associations in America . – New York Tribune, August 28, 1914 . 31 New York Times, November 16 , 1914 .
32 The rules were relaxed about February 27, 1915 . Press of that date . 83 The German General Staff announced that no correspondent, artist , or photographer would be in future allowed at the German frontier . - Press
ofOctober 4 , 1914 . The Department of State in Washington issued passports only to those
writers regularly accredited to responsible journals or to press associations and to those whose neutral character was assured . - New
Post, October 26 , 1915.
