Evening star., 1896-01-04
NEWSPAPERS IN TURKEY.
A Censor GOea5Oyer Every Item I'm the
Tf0of Sheets.

Censor GOeaiOyer Every Item I'm the
Its0of Sheets.
From the Providete Journal.
Without doubt the mcst peculiar news
papers in the wbrld are published In Tur-
key. The pressJis comparatively new
thing there. and IT. Is certainly unique. 1t
is only few years ago that Turkey had
a great awakening, during which many
new enterprises, were established and ex-
periments trie6E's The most important of
these was the advent of the newspaper into
the sublime kingdom. but the Turks did
not take kindly,Itouit at. the start. 1t was
only by means Of 'bribes and the aid of for
eign powers that they were allowed TO get
any foothold atsafi, and even then the edi-
tor was in feaf,0f HIS life every time the
pa per went to press -
Every man Whose 'haine was rnerti jned
felt at liberty TO- denroiish the plant, and 1t
was an every aysoccurrence FOR the editor
to be called to account at the point of
saber. After many had been killed and the
remainder wounded and fntimidated, the
papers adopted n new method, and for some
years dared to publish nothing about per-
son unless 1t WAS highly complimentary.
But the Turks finally tired of this, and
fresh raids were made, with terribly disas-
trous results. The government then stepped
in. and after subduing the riots publicly en-
couraged the establishment of newspapers.
relying upon the institution of the censor
yoke they have, existed until the present
time, and, notwithstanding the terrible
drawback have gradually increased in
Most of them are published in the Turk
sh and Arabic languages and the most inn
portant are naturally at Constantinop!e and
Beyroot. The latter place has now fifteen,
and all in Arabic Each issue is good as
a comic opera. and how they manage to
live and find readers for the matter they
publish Is a mystery, for they contain lit
tie more than a few articles eulogistic of
the government. The censors placed in each
newspaper Office are supreme, and all at
tempts at free expression of opinion are
rigidly excluded This is also true of the
two papers published in French and En-
glish at CoEstantinople. The government
really holds a string to every item that is
turned in. and this is how they work it:
Two regularly appointed censors are sent
| tablshed, one for day duty and one for
night. They are appointed for that partic-
ular paper and are held solely responsible
for every item that appears in it from one
years end to the other. In the event of
one displeasing line slipping in unawares
they pay for the oversight with their lives
Although they have no voice in the man.
| agement of the paper. they are the real
editors and examine every proof sheet be-
| fore the paper is made up. What is objec-
tionable to the government, their friends or
themselves is rigidly cut cut.
Armed with blue pencils, they sit in the
office day and night, and as fast as the
matter is set proofs are handed them. Out
of ten columns of apparently harmless mat
ter, for it is so dead and dry as to be abso-
lutely without brilliancy. force or charac-
ter, they usually allow about two to be pub
lished.
1t is not merely that expressions regard
ing political matters are excluded, as the
caprice of the censor is indulged regarding
the most trivial subjects and affairs. If he
happens to be in good humor the paper
comes out on time and has some semblance
of real" newspaper, but as a usual
the proof sheets, 1t Is the problem of the
hour to find enough matter left to go to
press on.