Indeed in the aftermath of the battle of Midway there was a huge cover up effort by the Japanese authorities to keep the news from the public. But it was hard to hide that a large swath or two of Tokyo was in flames.
It is ironic that the European theater news printed in Japanese newspapers was unfiltered and factual. Not propagandized at all.
Pretty much impossible to hide a few hundred Superforts, and an entire city up in flames.