GERMAN NEWSPAPERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16098, 11 December 1915, Page 5 (Supplement)

GERMAN NEWSPAPERS.

SOME OF THEIR CHARACTER. ISTICS. The incidence of the war has giyen an unusual interest to the German Press. In normal times the extracts from German newspapers quoted in this country are not of much interest except to the student of foreign politic. At the commencement of the '.var British readers knew few names of Gorman newspapers, and much 'ess of their idative importance. Now. however, extracts from the enemy papers are eagerly perused, but these papers are nt now so accessible as in peace time, and most ,-f the extracts ■which appear reai h us by way of Amsterdam. Among tie newspapers of the world, those of Herman;.- do not occupy a position commensurate with the usual* commercial imp. nan e , I that country. The German pub!!.' has not yet acquired the newspajv: pur. '-.as.- habit, and the circulation of Herman newspapers is consequently far below that of the leading journals in Britain. Frame, and America. The advertisement side of the German news- : papers >:. us the same shortcoming. The business, men of tins country are we'd satis- ' fied as to the ufhty of the advertisement l columns ; m newspapers, but the more thnltv ::.,ieMuen . f the Fatherland have not \ct '•<■• me add: ted to what they con- i 61.1.1' a : sivui!ati\c form of expending e. I Long Established. I Tl:o.:e": tie Herman press of to-dav hoi,is. a-. !:ii\ position compared with that .: ii eat lit.tain, it win boast of a loncei l.i-toiv. 1.-r wliile the tirst English | ne«spap.r appeared in 1622, the Frankfurter .1. ureal, foutided bv a bookseller i" I'"' kt. it-.-n-Maine. had then been in existence !••!• out seven years. Other papers in dlfcivut pat of Germany qui'.kiy tciv, >,!. and towards the close of the seventeenth century practically even- town ,i importance possessed its ow-i :-.ew>paper M st. of th.->se were poor er..r.i.f. ns. and the German Pies.-, remain: ■ ■■■■ an almost moribund condition unto the l; break of the French Revolution. Ibe dawn of this exciting period in th.- i;N;-..ry of Kurope gave the Herman news p., a great- filip. and although about this time a resolution of the Diet subjected tliem to offii ial supervision their improvement v. a.-, most marked. During the nineteenth century the German; press seemed to realise that it had a mission. Many more newspapers were err --.J. and the position of the press as a factor m the social life of the nation gradually rose. The German nation became more of a newspaper-reading people, and this was concurrent with their general intellectual development. Thus the close of that great century for newspaper enterprise in all parts of" the world found Berlin with 45 daily papers, while Munich had 12. Hamburg 11. 1.,-i F7 .ig 8, Stuttgart 8. and inrassburg 6. Some cf the Bast Known. •>' the Berlin newspapers the best known is the Berliner Tauebtatt. Much importance is attached to the political views expressed by this paper because of their semi-official character. The Lokalanseiger is another successful Berlin paper, run on more popular line*. It is a good advertising medium, and possesses what in Germany is considered a big circulation. One of tlie best literary papers in Berlin is the Vossische Zeitung, a newspaper boasting an existence of over 200 years. The reputation of this paper has been gained rather by the excellence of its literary and kindred articles than by its incursions into the political domain. Cologne and Frar.Kfort. with the Cologne Gazette (or. as it - lore often appears here, Kolnische Zeitunf.) and the Frankfort Gazette (Frankfurter Zeitung) respectively, can boa*t o- two of the most influential newspapers in Germany. The Colocne Ga7/ette. though published in a city 360 miles away from Berlin, is more ott-en than any other German newspaper the mouthpiece of the Government, and it is because of this fact tint the extracts from this paper receive so much attention. It was this journal of which Bismarck once said that is was *' worth an army corps on the Rhine."

The Frankfurter Gazette, as befitting the status of the city in which it is published, has a big commercial reputation, and is a very wealthy concern. It also represents, bat to a lesser extent than its contemporary in Cologne, the attitude of the German Government. As the chief organ of the German financial world, it carries much advertising matter in the shape of commercial notices, and is times of peace even English prospectuses are seer, in its columns. This newspaper pride.* itself upon its well-informed foreign news service. Hamburg and the oilier important cities of the German Kmpire all possess newspapers which in normal times are fairly successful, but to the outside world most of them are of little importance, their influence being mainly directed to local affairs. The Vorwarts. the chief of the many newspapers established in Germany by the Social Democrat party, has, by reason of its suspension by the Government, gained

a reputation during the war that is practically world-wide. It has several capable writers on its staff, and in particular the views of its military writer. Colonel Gadke, are often quoted in British newspapers. Short Stories a Feature. Almost all the German newspapers favour the idea of the short story, and on some of them the feuilletonist is of more consequence than the editor himself. Even j in the commercial newspapers the story | is often the most prominent feature. I The arrangement and general make-up j of German papers are occasionally very \ t;dzzlin<r to English readers. The headlines are insignificant, and afford little criterion to the importance of the news. In contrast to the majority of our newspapers, the leading articles and most important news are found on the outside pages. The births, deaths, and marriages announcements appear in a style which jars upon the better taste of the English reader, and they are not graced with the dignity and reserve which accompanies similar announcements in our papers. Long eulogies of the deceased person often accompany' the death notices, usually displayed in'stiiking black borders, and these, though Amusing to the foreigner, are sadly lacking in taste. The news columns are more matter-of-fact than ours, there being an absence of the gossipy paragraphs of which wc are so fond. The only department in which German papers excel is in that of musical criticism, and in this respect they are entitled to the highest praise. Even for the smallest local concert the German reader expects intelligent criticism. A Comparison. This 1? hardly the moment to indulge in Comparison with Germany, but in regard to the press it can safely be said that the German newspapers are behind the times. We are proud to think of our press as tile best in the world, and a comparison with that 01 Germany tends to confirm that view. In Enalar.d the title of the "Fourth Estate." is no misnomer, and the respect paid to it by our statesmen and leading men of all spheres is a great tribute to its position. In Germany the freedom ■>'. the press as we know it is) Hoti-extoti-nt. Tic- trammels of Government control are evident, and as a whole the newspapers are looked upon as a servant rather than as a mentor. Bismarck utilised t'i,. German press for his own interests, hut nevertheless held it in contempt. ,r:tl it bus not yet outlived the biting nit':.ism he applied to it when he called it a '• reptile press