FRENCH PRESS IN WAR TIME

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3064, 27 April 1917, Page 5

FRENCH PRESS IN WAR TIME

/'As far as journalism is concerned, 'America and France have long been extremes. • America is a laud of big papers ; Franco is content -with ■ ver}' small ones. Now the American papers are apparently to be placed under a censor's.scrutiny,-which, one would imagine, must be galling to their frank traditions, and the French papers, in response to Government requirements, are reducing thoir already attenuated sizes. Hitherto the Paris papers lmvo usually consisted of four not very largo pages, but m future their readers will have to be content with two, on certain days at all events. The signed article is such a strong tradition of French journalism .that often a paper's circulation may be said to he supported, by the pen of .one writer;.so we may reasonably assume that it will be the news columns rather than those given over to editorial, matter which will suffer by the new reduction in the sizes of papers. Most of those wlio buy ''L'Hommo Ehchaine" do .so because they want to read "tiger" Clemenceau, and it is unlikely that the veteran journalist and ex-Premier will suffer bis space to be out down in order to givo people news—though he not infrequently publishes a blank column with bis signature at the foot to show how tho censor lias treated him. ,- . French papers have 'fnore or less "floating" circulations, for the Parisians hardly ever stick to one journal, but buy several as tho mood dictates. Early in the war the French Press lost some caste by reason of exaggerations nnd somewhat wild statements. The public grew to view them with some contempt, ■ but since then, largely by reason of the. efforts of a little band of writers liko Herve, Clemenoeau, Marcel Hutin, Stephen Pichon, Humbert, and a few others, newspaper .credit has revived, nnd the 'French Press to-day stands in a fairly strong position. One of its early mistakes was that it gavo too many men to the army, leaving some journals inefficiently staffed, but hy.co-operation with the military 'authorities this has benn largely, remedied. Germany from the outset saw tho necessity of keeping its Press strong:' France did not, but ,sho has since changed her mind.—"Manchester Guardian." v