{
  "id": 219,
  "slug": "1926-uk-general-strike-newsprint-requisition",
  "title": "United Kingdom: Government requisitions newsprint and restricts rival newspapers during the 1926 General Strike",
  "occurred_on": "1926-05-01",
  "occurred_on_precision": "month",
  "ended_on": null,
  "jurisdiction": "GB",
  "country": "GB",
  "continent": "europe",
  "level": "national",
  "type": null,
  "tactic_primary": "funding_and_ownership_pressure",
  "leader_slug": "stanley-baldwin",
  "issue_of_the_day": "Britain was in the midst of a general strike called by the Trades Union Congress in May 1926 in support of coal miners in a dispute with mine owners, during which most independent newspapers could not print normally.",
  "outcome": "ongoing",
  "outcome_on": "1926-05-10",
  "outcome_note": "As of the exchanges recorded in Parliament on May 10, 1926, the newsprint embargo on rival newspapers remained in place while the government's own paper continued publishing with requisitioned supplies.",
  "granularity": "anchor",
  "era": "1920s",
  "summary": "During the general strike called by the Trades Union Congress in May 1926, the British government requisitioned the country's available newsprint for its own newspaper, the British Gazette, and placed a provisional embargo on paper supplies to the Trades Union Congress's British Worker and many other newspapers. Chancellor of the Exchequer Winston Churchill defended the measures in the House of Commons as necessary to keep the government's own newspaper in production.{c:926}{c:928}{c:930}{c:931}",
  "what_happened": "When the Trades Union Congress called a general strike in early May 1926 in support of coal miners in a dispute with mine owners, most national newspapers stopped printing normally, and the government began publishing its own paper, the British Gazette, through His Majesty's Stationery Office, with its costs charged to the Treasury. Chancellor of the Exchequer Winston Churchill told the House of Commons on May 10, 1926 that it had become necessary to requisition provisionally all the newsprint suited to the presses used for the British Gazette. He said a provisional embargo had also been placed on newsprint for the Trades Union Congress's British Worker, as well as on paper reserves of many other newspapers, including a large number in London. Members of Parliament pressed Churchill on whether the government was acting impartially between the parties to the dispute and why certain statements had not been published in the government's paper. Churchill remarked that it was a pity that all the other newspapers had been suppressed by the disruption, while defending the newsprint controls as necessary to sustain the one paper the government considered able to keep the public informed.{c:926}{c:927}{c:928}{c:929}{c:930}{c:931}",
  "stated_justification": "The government said the newsprint controls were needed to keep the British Gazette, the paper it considered the only means of spreading authoritative information on a large scale, in continuous production, and that the British Gazette's cost would be borne on the Treasury Vote as an official publication of His Majesty's Stationery Office.{c:926}{c:927}{c:928}{c:929}{c:930}{c:931}",
  "effect_on_reporting": "The Trades Union Congress's British Worker and many other newspapers had their newsprint supplies embargoed, while the government's own paper had newsprint requisitioned in its favor.{c:927}{c:929}",
  "unknowns": null,
  "status": "historical",
  "status_updated_on": "2026-09-26",
  "external_ids": {},
  "illustration_key": null,
  "pub_state": "published",
  "published_at": "2026-09-26T18:08:06Z",
  "reviewed_on": "2026-09-26",
  "next_review_on": "2027-03-26",
  "revision": 5,
  "created_at": "2026-09-26T18:08:01Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-09-26T18:14:33Z",
  "stage": "pressure",
  "ladder_note": null,
  "country_name": "United Kingdom",
  "tactics": [
    "funding_and_ownership_pressure",
    "shutdowns_and_blocking"
  ],
  "leader": {
    "slug": "stanley-baldwin",
    "name": "Stanley Baldwin",
    "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/stanley-baldwin"
  },
  "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1926-uk-general-strike-newsprint-requisition",
  "page_meta": {
    "published": "2026-09-26T18:08:06Z",
    "reviewed": "2026-09-26",
    "sources": 2,
    "status": "historical",
    "statusAsOf": "2026-09-26",
    "unknowns": null
  },
  "actors": [
    {
      "slug": "william-joynson-hicks",
      "name": "Sir William Joynson-Hicks",
      "kind": "person",
      "role": "announced",
      "role_at_time": null,
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/actors/william-joynson-hicks"
    },
    {
      "slug": "winston-churchill",
      "name": "Winston Churchill",
      "kind": "person",
      "role": "defended",
      "role_at_time": null,
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/actors/winston-churchill"
    }
  ],
  "outlets": [
    {
      "slug": "british-gazette",
      "name": "The British Gazette",
      "relation": "affected",
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/british-gazette"
    },
    {
      "slug": "british-worker",
      "name": "The British Worker",
      "relation": "affected",
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/british-worker"
    }
  ],
  "journalists": [],
  "cases": [],
  "related": [],
  "events": [],
  "claims": [
    {
      "id": 926,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 219,
      "field": "action",
      "value": "Newsprint requisitioned for the government's paper",
      "statement": "Chancellor of the Exchequer Winston Churchill said it had become necessary to requisition provisionally all the newsprint adapted to the presses used for the government's newspaper.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 586,
      "evidence_quote": "It has become necessary to requisition provisionally all the news print available which is adapted to the presses employed by the Government newspaper.",
      "evidence_date": "1926-05-10",
      "method": "primary_document",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-26",
      "confidence": "high",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "historical-2026-09-26",
      "created_at": "2026-09-26T18:08:01Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 586,
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        "final_url": "https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1926/may/10/news-print",
        "title": "News Print (Hansard, 10 May 1926)",
        "publisher": "News Print (Hansard, 10 May 1926)",
        "published_on": "1926-05-10",
        "link_state": "live",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-26T18:11:00Z",
        "wayback_url": null,
        "wayback_saved_at": null
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      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/926"
    },
    {
      "id": 927,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 219,
      "field": "outlet_affected",
      "value": "British Worker's newsprint embargoed",
      "statement": "Churchill said a provisional embargo had been placed on newsprint for the Trades Union Congress's British Worker.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 586,
      "evidence_quote": "As far as paper is concerned, a provisional embargo has been placed upon that newspaper as well as",
      "evidence_date": "1926-05-10",
      "method": "primary_document",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-26",
      "confidence": "high",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "historical-2026-09-26",
      "created_at": "2026-09-26T18:08:02Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 586,
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        "final_url": "https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1926/may/10/news-print",
        "title": "News Print (Hansard, 10 May 1926)",
        "publisher": "News Print (Hansard, 10 May 1926)",
        "published_on": "1926-05-10",
        "link_state": "live",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-26T18:11:00Z",
        "wayback_url": null,
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      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/927"
    },
    {
      "id": 928,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 219,
      "field": "scope_of_action",
      "value": "Embargo extended to many other newspapers",
      "statement": "The newsprint embargo also covered the paper reserves of many other newspapers, including a large number in London.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 586,
      "evidence_quote": "upon the paper reserves of many other suitable newspapers, including a very great number of newspapers in London.",
      "evidence_date": "1926-05-10",
      "method": "primary_document",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-26",
      "confidence": "high",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "historical-2026-09-26",
      "created_at": "2026-09-26T18:08:02Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 586,
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        "final_url": "https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1926/may/10/news-print",
        "title": "News Print (Hansard, 10 May 1926)",
        "publisher": "News Print (Hansard, 10 May 1926)",
        "published_on": "1926-05-10",
        "link_state": "live",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-26T18:11:00Z",
        "wayback_url": null,
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      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/928"
    },
    {
      "id": 929,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 219,
      "field": "effect_on_reporting",
      "value": "Churchill remarked other newspapers had been suppressed",
      "statement": "Churchill remarked to the House of Commons that it was a pity that all the other newspapers had been suppressed by the strike.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 586,
      "evidence_quote": "what a pity it is that all the other newspapers have been suppressed!",
      "evidence_date": "1926-05-10",
      "method": "primary_document",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-26",
      "confidence": "high",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
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      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "historical-2026-09-26",
      "created_at": "2026-09-26T18:08:03Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 586,
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        "final_url": "https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1926/may/10/news-print",
        "title": "News Print (Hansard, 10 May 1926)",
        "publisher": "News Print (Hansard, 10 May 1926)",
        "published_on": "1926-05-10",
        "link_state": "live",
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      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/929"
    },
    {
      "id": 930,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 219,
      "field": "announced_by",
      "value": "Home Secretary confirmed government responsibility for the British Gazette",
      "statement": "The Home Secretary confirmed that the British Gazette was published by His Majesty's Stationery Office and that its cost would be borne on the Treasury Vote.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 587,
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      "evidence_date": "1926-05-05",
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      "verified_at": "2026-09-26",
      "confidence": "high",
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      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "historical-2026-09-26",
      "created_at": "2026-09-26T18:08:03Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 587,
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        "final_url": "https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1926/may/05/british-gazette",
        "title": "\"British Gazette.\" (Hansard, 5 May 1926)",
        "publisher": "\"British Gazette.\" (Hansard, 5 May 1926)",
        "published_on": "1926-05-05",
        "link_state": "live",
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      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/930"
    },
    {
      "id": 931,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 219,
      "field": "scope_of_action",
      "value": "Strike arose from a miners' dispute",
      "statement": "Churchill said impartiality would be observed as between employers and employed, mine owners or miners, in connection with the newsprint controls.",
      "attribution": null,
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      "confidence": "high",
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      "created_at": "2026-09-26T18:08:04Z",
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        "title": "News Print (Hansard, 10 May 1926)",
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      "final_url": "https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1926/may/10/news-print",
      "title": "News Print (Hansard, 10 May 1926)",
      "publisher": "News Print (Hansard, 10 May 1926)",
      "published_on": "1926-05-10",
      "link_state": "live",
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      "title": "\"British Gazette.\" (Hansard, 5 May 1926)",
      "publisher": "\"British Gazette.\" (Hansard, 5 May 1926)",
      "published_on": "1926-05-05",
      "link_state": "live",
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  "revisions_url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1926-uk-general-strike-newsprint-requisition/revisions",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
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  "cite_as": "United Kingdom: Government requisitions newsprint and restricts rival newspapers during the 1926 General Strike. The War On News, thewaronnews.com. https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1926-uk-general-strike-newsprint-requisition. Retrieved 2026-09-26."
}