D-Notice

In the United Kingdom, D-Notices are a voluntary system of press censorship. The name stands for the note (meaning "Defence Notice, nowawadays a Defence Advisory Notice, or DA Notice), issued by a committee consisting of representatives of the Government and from the media. They are legally 'advisory' notices, and may be ignored.

However, as Moyra Grant notes, "the guidelines also state pointedly that the D Notice system is a useful reminder of the legal sanctions which may be brought to bear if an editor or producer oversteps the mark. Moreover, pressure to comply can be overwhelming". 

The media, she writes, is afraid to push the line too hard, as it might introduce in more severe restrictions and notes "there are currently eight general [kinds of] D Notices (which, incidentally, used to be secret information themselves, but were made public in 1982):


 * Defence plans, operational capability, state of readiness and training
 * Defence equipment
 * Nuclear weapons and equipment
 * Radio and radar transmissions
 * Cyphers and communications
 * British security and intelligence services
 * War precautions and civil defence
 * Photography etc. of defence establishments and installations