SUNDAY was the anniversary of the imposition on October 19, 1988 of the broadcasting ban by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Prior to that censorship in one form or another had operated in the North and in Britain, and also in the 26 counties. The rationale for this had long been the desire of the two governments to deny citizens their right to information. In this way it was easier to promote the establishment’s narrative.In Ireland the British media strategy had its roots in Britain’s colonial experience. But it was especially influenced by the writings in the late 1960s of General Frank Kitson who believed that all governmental structures; the judiciary, the law, the police and the media, must be part of a co-ordinated strategy to defeat ‘the enemy’ while suppressing citizens and their rights.
