Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
How did media impact the British War Effort - Coggle Diagram
How did media impact the British War Effort
Sefton Delmer
Broadcast 'black propaganda' to the Germans, aiming to demoralise them through the use of dirt cover cover dirt
Purchase of the transmitter Aspidistra from the US in 1942 enabled to transmit to U-Boats, radio station Atlantiksender played popular music 'cover' and stories of wives and girlfriends cheating on them in an aim to demotivate. Had their own wartime sweetheart called 'Vicky'
His broadcasts used real diaries that had been confiscated at POW's as 'cover' so convincing that neutrals such as US believed they were actual German broadcasts
Started as a Berlin correspondent for the Daily Express, first Brit to interview Hitler, Political Warfare executive during the war
Success of black propaganda led to Goebelles mission to get the Germans to hate the British to fail, Nazi secret police reports suggest positive view of the British throughout the war
So demoralising to German troops that German army sent a pamphlet to all Officers detailing Delmer's work and warning of the effect on moral, although the course of the war and increasing shortages more important to demoralising Germans
Lord Haw Haw
William Joyce deputy leader and head of propaganda of the BUF, fled to Germany following arrest of Oswald Mosley
Program Views on the News on Radio Hamburg making regular broadcasts to Britain (6m regular British tuned into Radio Hamburg, 18m at the fall of France), spread fear by naming towns that were scheduled for bombing
Ministry of Information private report in 1940- 58% watched because they found him funny, fell to 15% in private so main reason was Haw Haw had more accurate news, knew an uncanny amount of British life (clock in Darlington town hall ran two minutes slow)
December 1939 Mass observation report about why we are fighting, 17% agreed with his view that it was an international Jewish conspiracy
Carless talk costs lives poster launched and 50 pound fine for spreading rumours in response
Postscript to the News launched by BBC to be on at same time, JB Priestly extremely popular so drew viewership away from Joyce. Average 10m viewers. Overall improvement in the war also helped as more trust in BBC and Haw Haw lost all credibility post D-Day, drunken rants by the end of the war
Churchill's speeches
Called the BBC as communist sympathisers when they refused to be commandeered by him, hatred for Reith as thought he was limiting his screen time and his views on control over India
We Shall Fight on the Beaches- post Dunkirk, turned what was a shameful retreat into a miraculous, heroic escape
MOI said that the fall of France would bring defeatism however War of the Unknown Warrior turned it into an opportunity to demonstrate pluck and resolve
77% listened to his speeches, an approval rating of 88% on average and never dropping below 78%
Less frequent post 1942 as war going well so less need for morale boosting, prefers cinema now
Government Policies
Censorship (MOI)
MOI refused to ban Ships with Wings like Churchill wanted
BBC shows had to be approved by a censor and scripted, although initially planning on controlling the organisation so censorship not gone too far
1940- Press and Censorship Bureau held daily 'Guidance to the Press' meetings
Paid a small fee to publishers to publish more of the books that they wanted to see in print, did this privately so the public wouldn't see it as propaganda
Dig For Victory campaign (MOI) launched pushed in posters and radio, 600,000 new allotments
The highly popular Kitchen Front (5-7m each day) on the BBC pushed ration appropriate recipes such as Woolton Pie
Make do and mend campaign (MOI release booklet) to save on clothes
Chignell 'BBC working extremely closely with the government'
BBC initially referred to as 'Aunty' as perceived as nagging, but learn how to nudge people and encourage public to share ideas
Light entertainment of BBC, helps sustain moral and combats Haw Haw. (on previous diagram)