ABSTRACT
The second half of the 19th century is described as the ‘golden age of war reporting’. The gradual emergence of a system of accreditation and the establishment of guidelines for the reporting of war was a feature of the ‘golden age’. A more coherent information policy emerged during the only major set piece conflict of late 19th century Europe, the Franco-Prussian War. The British War Office formally addressed the problem of giving assistance to the enemy in 1881 when the permanent under-secretary warned editors about certain types of information that threatened operational security – these included reports of the number of guns and garrisons, details of transport, temporary bridges and posts and troop movements. Politicians had always used the press to make their case but the systematic and organised use of the news media to promote and propagate policy was fully recognised in the Boer War.
