New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-30
The Poison Gas Press
Onv One Thing TO Do With Foreign Language Newspapers and hat
Is TO Suppress Them Altogether

Naturally. these two old soldiers and next
door neighbors talked a good deal about the
war. But did the German veteran believe
anything that the English language news
papers published from the front; OF the
victories of our allies, or concerning the
reason why this country entered the WAT
Not a bit of it. He insisted that all the
English language newspapers pupiished IN
the way of war news was "A lot OF iies
that the only place where truth was TO De
found was in the columns OF "Ihe otaa.s-
Zetung." and insisted on translating aa'iy
from that newspaper what it had to say about
the war for his neighbor.
Now. if the German language press still
has as great hold as this upon natives OF
Germany who have enjoyed liberty and in
dependence here for more than sixty years,
who were loyal enough in the dark days OF
1851 70 volunteer and fight for the Union;
who have been drawing pensions for many
Years can we wonder that those are dis
ioval who have spent less time on these
shores and have no such sentimental at
tachment to the country of their adoption as
one would expect participation in victorious
war for the new country to instil!
Systematic Coloring
Another thing: The German language
newsnapers are members of various press
associations to which our own newspapers
belong and receive precisely the same news
dispatches But in their editorial rooms
these dispatches are rewritten and trans
lated into their own vernaculsr. | am in
formed that there is systematic colorlng
of and Juggling with the facts these dis
patches contain; the playing up OF this
and the playing down" of that, to give the
Central Powers "the best of it" in the news
and to minimize the victories of our allies.
I believe it would be worth while for The
Associated Press and other news organiza-
tions TO investigate this subject, since these
associations have the power to punish their
German language subscribers by cutting of
their service IL not by penalzing them
otherwise Besides this, clients of the vari-
Gus news associations are daily in receipt
of confidential information, not for publica-
ton, which, it strikes me, is not good
thing for our German brethren to have at
this time.
However. il is in their editorial comment
and in brief paragraphs that even may not
bear directly upon the war that these Ger
man editors sneer, make sighting remarks
and make, to term them somewhat coarsey,
left-handed Cracks" which contain the poison
gas they seek to spread. The suggestion
of some of our Congressman at Washington
that they be compelled to print English
TRANSACTIONS of what they publish in German
in parallel columns is ridiculous. The only
thing TO do is to suppress them altogether.
This country can get along without news
papers in the German and other languages
of our enemies while the war lasts, at least
And when the war is over, if not before,
| believe our returning soldiers will see to
it that the publication of newspapers in
German is not healthy occupation in this
country. NEWSPAPER MAN.
New York, Aug. %, 1917.