FOREIGN NEWSPAPERS.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 257, 9 March 1917, Page 1 (Supplement)

FOREIGN NEWSPAPERS.

Ia these days, practically every paper, daily or weekly, is in the habit of quoting from such other journals of Allied, neutral or enemy oi'igin as it can lay its hon:ls upon. The cable news, too, frequently contains references to statements made and opinions expressed by representative foreign journals. In supplying somo notes on the principal foreign papers and the sides they represent, "Everyman" has rendered useful service to the reading public, by making it possible to form some reliable estimata as to the amount of importance to attach to extracts. To liegin with America. The U.S.A. papers of which most is heard are printed in New York, and this conveys the impression, that New York is the great Americw news centre, just as London is land's. This, however, is not the case.. New York is only one ox many centres. Chicago and San I 1 ranciscp :BX© a long way away, and are practically independent of New /York, so far as, their views and interests are concerned. Now it happens to bo the case that-New York and the other cities on the Atlantic coast are, on the whole, strongly, pro-Ally, while Chicago and - several other cities of the iliddlo West aie distinctly less enthusiastic in our support. The "New York Times., is perhaps the finest representative of educated American opinion, strikingly good paper is the Providence "Journal''' (Rhode Island), which took a very prominent part in unmasking the designs of Von Papen and other German and pro-German conspirators of the U.S.A. The mast striking feature of American journalism is the Sunday edition. Papers like the "New York Herald," the "New York Evening Post," the "Chicago Herald" come, out with immense editions, perhaps a hundred pages altogether, in several sections —financial, illustrated, comic, cinema, news, etc. This enormous weekly compilation, generally published nt live cents, is regarded by a great many Americans as being too much for the money. To come now to the Continent. Here we may at once notice a curious line of cleavage which is hardly noticeable, if at all, in England. In Russia, Germany, Austria and Hungary, especially in the capitals of these countries, the first question to be asked regarding the newspaper is, "Is the management Jewish?" Especially in Vienna is it the case that the leading papers, or many of them, are owned and staffed by Jews. The papers to which this fact applies are almost invariably Liberal or Radical, and opposed to the piesent Governments. As is only to be expected, they pay special attention to matters involving persons of Jewish nationality, and therefore emphasise the relations between the Jews and their neighbours far more strongly than is ever done in the daily press of tho United Kingdom. The well-known "Berliner Tageblatt," and tho "Frankfurter Zeitung," the two German papers most frequently quoted in England, arc both run by Jews. In Vienna, practically all the papers, with the exception of the "lleichspost," which is an organ of Roman Catholic and aristocratic opinion, are more or less in the hands of Jews. The Hungarian papers, especial, h tlnke published in Buda-Pesth, aro under the same control. The Petrogr id '■ Retch,'' one of the best-quoted Liberal organs, is very largely run by Jews, while the "Dyjn" (strongly Radical) is almost wnoiiy conducted by thorn. Tho more violently jingo German papers, as the reader Mill have gathered from the foregoing paragraph are not merely not run by Jews, but are in violent opposition to them. Revenue's paper, tho " Tagezeitung," and tiio " Kreuz-zeitung," are the principal organs of the Gorman "diehards."' Krupps, the munition makers of Essen, have a certain control over two important German papers; one is the " Berliner Neusto Nachrichten," while the other is local, and is published in Essvn, tho " Rheiuiseh-Wo'i-falisehe Zeituug.'' Both these papers are run very much in the interest <>t Krupps, and are, of com so, violently in favour of prolonging the war. in France the cleavage between the Jewish and :.on-Jewish press exists, but it 's not so marked as in the Central Empires and Russia. The strongly Catholic and cmivrwitive papers are distill--t.. iv anti-Semitic, but the Jewish population of Franc is not large enough to make this a really vital matter. Tim "Act:.in Franca i-.e." the "Croix," the "Libre Parol.-," and the "Gaulois"' atf, the most e.xtri >.:e conservative papers. Soin. l of tho bo-t-ini'onnod papers, which do not hold extreme views on one

side or another, are the Figaro," 1 "Ji omul des Deb.its" and the "Temps."'' I'aris has a'so its sensational prose, and quit-.' as la.rg" a number of papers as in Kngland are concerned with trying t"> show that the w ir ' ■ l."ing mi-"-managivl, et''., et". This ivjk> of pip.> r

common to a'l countries. Hie orem of ~f, Ciemenceau, which now calls tscll Ihe He'anu' Kncl'ame," lias ,i plan > entirely its- own in those days. Although the ( ti"'-■ll' ics of tho times

have cause 1 : t to he c; t down to onlv two pages, the signed leading articles of t.he editor <j;vp this paper an enormous rogue and influence. The Italian papers, unlike Mie From h pa-pen. are not so centra'is-d in the capital; in

fact, the most important Italian paper

is not published ill Rome at all, but in M—n. This is the "Corriere deila Sera," an evening paper with a marvellous range of information, and a finelyequipped staff. Th 3 " Stampa, of lurin, is frequently referred to ill England, as it reaches London a day earlier tnan the papers from Rome. This was one of the papers which, while anti-Austrian, could not make up its mind to be anti-German until the Inst moment. Rome has several papers which are interesting rather than influential; the "Idea Nazionale" is perhaps the mosf frequently quoted in Germany. Rome is perhaps too far away from the northern frontiers of Italy to be altogether, from our point of view, sound. The Roman papers on the whole were not strongly in favour of going to war with Germany, although they are now loyally supporting tne Government. One of the surprising things as regards the press and the war is the way in which quite obscure papers have leaped into prominence, especially in the neutral countries. Tht most interesting case of thus lias been the " Berner Tagwaeht,'' a little Swiss Socialist paper. This paper came into prominence owing to the fact that it has been the source • from which the rumours of a separate peace between Germany and Russia during the last few months have originated. It has on this account been taunted with being in the pay of the Germans— we do not know with how much justice. Many of the papers in the neutral countries are, as a matter of fact, quite openly receiving German money; but that is another story, and a very crooked one at that, about which it is difficult to get at the exact facts.