Military Operation

In a memo which radio and the press in general might well take to heart, CBS News Chief Paul White told his broadcasters how to cover the invasion of Western Europe, when & if it happens.

Excerpts:

P: "No matter what the general tenor of the news, keep an informative, unexcited demeanor at the microphone."

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly that accuracy should never be risked for the sake of a prospective 'beat.'"

P: "Be careful even in the choice of words. For instance: 'Allied forces today rolled toward X'; 'Allied air armadas today continued their round-the-clock bombings'; the German defenses of Z today were pulverized.' The underlined words in these sentences are apt to be exaggerations and breed a dangerous optimism. If the facts in the above instances call for more moderate language, then sacrifice colorful writing and say: 'Allied forces today moved toward X'; Allied air forces today continued their repeated bombings'; 'The German defenses of Z today were hard hit.' Even the word 'counterattack' may be a misnomer. It may be an out-and-out attack."

P: "When we don't know, let's say so. If the last official word on an invasion force came 20 hours ago and was to the effect that 'satisfactory progress' was being made in an attack on Y, then let's not lead a news broadcast with some such locution as this: 'Allied troops were believed today to be progressing toward Y.' We simply don't know, and there's no use pretending to any knowledge we don't possess. Far better to do it this way: 'Nothing has been released for the past 24 hours concerning the Allied attack on Y. The last official word was, etc.' "

P: "Our staff faces a grave responsibility. Please remember that those who are listening to us are the mothers, fathers, wives, and sweethearts of the men participating in this story. . . . But the biggest crisis . . . confronts the men who are actually in the front lines. About the only way that we can help them is to report factually, soberly and intelligently. . . . Remember that winning the war is a hell of a lot more important than reporting it."

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