In 1938 , John Reith and the British government , specifically the Ministry of Information which had been set up for WWII , designed a censorship apparatus for the inevitability of war . Due to the BBC 's advancements in shortwave radio technology , the Corporation could broadcast across the world during World War II . Within Europe , the BBC European Service would gather intelligence and information regarding the current events of the war in English . Regional BBC workers , based on their regional geo-political climate , would then further censor the material their broadcasts would cover . Nothing was to be added outside of the preordained news items . For example , the BBC Polish Service was heavily censored due to fears of jeopardizing relations with the Soviet Union . Controversial topics , i.e. the contested Polish and Soviet border , the deportation of Polish citizens , the arrests of Polish Home Army members and the Katyn massacre , were not included in Polish broadcasts . American radio broadcasts were broadcast across Europe on BBC channels . This material also passed through the BBC 's censorship office , which surveilled and edited American coverage of British affairs . By 1940 , across all BBC broadcasts , music by composers from enemy nations was censored . In total , 99 German , 38 Austrian and 38 Italian composers were censored . The BBC argued that like the Italian or German languages , listeners would be irritated by the inclusion of enemy composers . Any potential broadcaster said to have pacifist , communist or fascist ideologies were not allowed on the BBC 's airwaves
Katyn massacre
Katyn massacre
BBC