Reported
p. 15 · Read in the full issue
How War News is Reported
“It must be true, because I saw it in the newspaper.” —Any man in the street.
HERE is an example of how war news is reported, in these enlightened days of the New Journalism.
About the beginning of February a man named Murray Chambers, who had been an hotelkeeper in Australia, arrived in Tarawa. Gilbert Islands, as a survivor from a Danish motor-ship which had been sunk by Japs near Hawaii. He had travelled 2.000 miles in an open boat. He got to Suva in mid-March and to Sydney in mid-April.
On March 18, “Fiji Times” reported the incident, and said that Chambers arrived in Tarawa with six Danish com panions; that he subsequently left Tar awa in a small boat for the South with two other companions: that he was overtaken by the Danish survivors at Nanouti in a motor-boat; and that they all proceeded to Suva together.
“Svdney Morning Herald”, on March 20. reported the incident in substantially the same terms.
Sydney “Sunday Telegranh”, of April 12, says that six men, including Cham bers, 'reached Tarawa: that they all were taken to hospital; and that all excent one (Chambers) died in the hos
pital.
“Sunday Telegraph” also says that on the night that the American fleet “bombed hell out of the islands” Cham bers made his escape in a patched-up boat. (The American fleet never has bombed Tarawa, and it seems quite clear that Chambers got away from Tarawa in a lagoon-boat, with two companions.) Sydney “Sunday Sun” of April 12 says that every man except Chambers died in the lifeboat, and that Chambers was by himself for ten days before reaching Tarawa; that he was carried, blind and helpless, to Tarawa hospital; that the Japanese were in command in Tarawa, and they released him on parole; and that “nine days later he heard the thunder of guns and saw American battleships and cruisers standing in close and shelling the Japanese positions. In the midst of the thunder of high explo sive shells, Mr. Chambers took the opportunity to escape in a boat.” Then, according to this newspaper, he sailed from Miana (presumably Maiana island, just south of Tarawa) to “another island in the Marshall Group”, where he met a German who gave him navigating instruments. (The Marshall Islands are far away to the north of Tarawa, and are Japanese territory!) “Yer pays yer money and yer takes yer choice.” The “PIM" thinks the “Fiji Times” story is substantially cor rect. And it nominates the “Sunday Sun” for the biscuit, or leather medal, or dog-collar, or what you will.