The people and the media
Sixty years ago there were three main ways of receiving information. Britain had over eight million wireless sets, about one for every six people, and audiences for popular programmes, for example the BBC's nine o'clock news, could number 20 million. In addition to listening to the wireless, most adults visited the cinema at least once a week, and nearly half the population went twice a week.
The cinemas were supplied by five newsreel companies, who could turn out a new newsreel every week, although the most famous, Pathé, could usually produce two a week. Finally, virtually all British households subscribed to a weekly paper or magazine, while the collective circulation of daily newspapers showed that the British market had reached saturation point.
'... about four million men and women over the age of 40 had served in the war.'
By today's standards the population was not as well educated (only 7 per cent had been to university), but they were very much more sophisticated in their understanding of the nature of war and of war reporting. Nearly three quarters of Britain's 48 million people had lived through World War One, and about four million men and women over the age of 40 had served in the war.
They understood the language of military communiqués, in which 'withdrawal' meant 'retreat', 'regrouping' meant 'disorganisation', and 'consolidation' meant 'disaster impending'. They were not a population it would be easy to tell lies to in the event of a military reverse - indeed, it would have been foolish to try.
Published: 2004-02-06
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