The Information Front: The Canadian Army And News Management During The Second World War (studies In Canadian Military History Series Published In Association With The Canadian War Museum)

In wartime, capturing the hearts and minds of the citizenry is arguably as important as victory on the battlefield. The Information Front explores the Canadian military's use of public relations units to manage news during the Second World War. These specialized units were responsible for providing sufficient and positive news coverage to Canadians at home. This fascinating study traces the transformation of an emergent PR organization into an efficient publicity machine. It also scrutinizes news coverage and PR activities during major Canadian operations at Dieppe, Sicily, and Normandy to reveal how the military used censorship and propaganda to rally support for the war effort. In wartime, it is not only success on the battlefield that determines victory. Winning hearts and minds is a vital part of military strategy and relies in large part on the effective management of how and what information is reported from the front. This illuminating study explores how the Canadian military developed and relied on public relations units to manage news during the Second World War. The soldiers assigned to these units, mainly former journalists, were responsible for censoring information, supervising and assisting war correspondents, coordinating policy with the Allies, and ensuring the steady flow of news to Canada. Using public relations case studies from Dieppe, the Sicilian campaign, and Normandy that reveal clashes among individual commanders and politicians, the press, the military, the government, and the Canadian public, The Information Front offers a balanced and intelligent discussion of how the military used censorship and propaganda to rally support for the war effort "The Information front explores the Canadian military's use of public relations units to manage news during the Second World War. These specialized units, composed mostly of former journalists, were responsible for providing sufficient and positive news coverage to Canadians at home. This ... study traces the transformation of an emergent PR organization into an efficient publicity machine. It also scrutinizes new coverage and PR activities during major Canadian operations at Dieppe, Sicily, and Normandy to reveal how the military used censorship and propaganda to rally support for the war effort"--Page 4 of cover The first book on the public relations efforts of the Canadian Army during the Second World War.