The voluntary gag order: how a 'gentleman's agreement' shapes national news
In short: In the UK, the government can request that news outlets stop reporting on specific topics for national security reasons. It is not a law, but a voluntary system that has shaped journalism for over a century. This delicate balance between public right-to-know and state secrets creates a unique, non-enforceable mechanism of censorship.
Officially known as DSMA-Notices since 2015, these requests were established in 1912. Unlike legal injunctions, they are purely advisory; news editors have the legal right to ignore them, yet the system relies on a long-standing cultural norm of compliance. This voluntary nature distinguishes the UK system from the 'grey notices' used by Sweden during World War II, which saw 260 distinct requests issued to the media to suppress information for political or military reasons.
The system has faced significant friction over the decades. In 1967, a political scandal erupted when Prime Minister Harold Wilson accused the Daily Express of breaching a notice. A committee of privy counsellors eventually ruled against the government, leading to press outrage and the resignation of the committee secretary. More recently, the system's reach has been debated; in 2010, the government issued a notice regarding WikiLeaks, which the government later clarified was a misunderstanding of the system's actual purpose.
The efficacy of these notices varies. In 2017, multiple outlets—including the BBC, The Daily Telegraph, and The Guardian—ignored a notice regarding the author of the Steele dossier. Conversely, the system has been used to manage high-profile incidents, such as the 1992 kidnapping of Stephanie Slater and 2004-2005 reports on Iraq War countermeasures. While the Australian D-Notice system fell into disuse after the Cold War, it remains a point of reference for discussions on how states might transition from voluntary 'gentleman's agreements' to legally binding penalties for journalists.
Today, the notices are categorized into specific areas, including military operations, nuclear weapons, and the protection of personnel in sensitive positions. It remains a nuanced tool of soft power, where the threat of 'tougher measures' like legal injunctions serves as a backdrop to a system built on mutual, albeit sometimes contested, cooperation.
Opens the Intellect+ feed with this card first. Swipe up for the next one.
Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: D-Notice
To cite this card, link to https://intellectplus.co.uk/app/science-d-notice.
How we source, check and correct cards: Editorial standards.
General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.
Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?
Related
More in Social scientists · More in Science · Latest · A–Z · All topics
