Fleet Street, London: Importance of the Press in WW1

Available for over a year

In the days before 24-hour, multimedia, rolling news; Fleet Street played a key role informing the public about global and national events. At the outbreak of World War One all Britain’s major newspaper owners backed the idea of being involved in the conflict. On the whole, journalists accepted the need for self-censorship in order to maintain support for the war. Initially, reporters were prevented from travelling to the Western Front to write about frontline events, but in April 1915 the ban was lifted. The national press did not exist in isolation. Whilst Fleet Street played a significant role in disseminating the key messages about the war, a vitally important local press was able to provide information about issues and events affecting individual communities. The influence of the press was clearly recognised by the government. In 1918, Times owner Lord Northcliffe was made director of propaganda for the David Lloyd George government. Location: Fleet Street, London EC4A Image: Statue of Lord Northcliffe