This article examines the British Government’s decision to establish the Royal Commission on the War in South Africa and how the Edwardian press presented its findings to the public. It will discuss how the Conservative media attempted to downplay the significance of the report and how the Liberal and Radical presses attempted to use it to raise questions about the Government’s ability to manage crises and, by linking the failures of military planning to new Conservative economic and education policies, challenge the competency of the Colonial Secretary and powerful Unionist leader, Joseph Chamberlain. Finally, it will show how the press, regardless of political leaning, remained supportive of the military leadership which conducted the war effort despite it playing a significant role in the faulty planning and operational failures of 1899.

本文探讨了英国政府建立南非战争皇家委员会的决定，以及爱德华时代的媒体如何向公众展示其调查结果。它将讨论保守党媒体如何试图淡化该报告的重要性，以及自由党和激进媒体如何试图利用它来质疑政府管理危机的能力，并将军事计划的失败与新的保守党经济和教育政策，挑战殖民地秘书和强大的工会领袖约瑟夫张伯伦的能力。最后，它将展示新闻界如何不顾政治倾向，仍然支持进行战争努力的军事领导层，尽管它在 1899 年的错误计划和作战失败中发挥了重要作用。