The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-01-09
NEWSPAPERS. OPINIONS
UTTER DEGRADATION

The state of journalism in Germany presents
erotesuue picture to American eyes By reverse
action it demonstrates the value of our system
with surprising clarity The Nazis call their press
Gree" They would, as words what you want
them to in propaganda Said Wilhelm Weiss, preSi-
dent of the German National Association of Jou"-
nasts in a greeting addressed to the membership:
THE life of the nation shall no longer be allowed
as formerly to be the object of sensational journal
ism of shrewd business men. The journalist in the
new Reich has accepted his work in the sense of
spiritual call that gives him justice but also places
upon him deep responsibilities. We are grateful to
Naz leadership which has given the German jour
nast the freedom of his inner consciousness.
And two days after this solemn statement was
printed the new press law went into effect, flat
tening what is left of the German press into mere
servile hattering fawning and viciously deceptive
organ of the Dictatorship The life has been so
whipped out of it by the GOebbes' press agent
policy that even President Max Amman, of til"
Chamber of Culture, recently protested grave!Y
against standardization of all printed media, both
in form and contents. The German free" press,
as might have been expected, is simply stupid NUT
tering lot of gibberish handed out by the roh-
heeled bosses of the state and not daring to step
on inch off of the beaten path of prescribed propa
ganda Naturally the German people still being
human the press presents little of interest after
Hitler chauvinism has become boresome and AM
mans self appointed task is to keep the newspapers
doped and still productive of paatable
reading ration 1t looks like an uphill job, from
where we set.
No new newspapers or magazines can be started
in Germany until April l. This is due to the fact
that existing media can scarcely survive the Goe5
bells shocks In order to level all newspapers 70
a common plane the government now prohibits the
exclusive publication of news or information in any
one paper. Newspapers personally owned by Hitler
and by Goebbels have shot ahead in circulation,
mainly because people say it is patriotic to sup
port the Naz chiefs Nowhere is there any open
political discussion, counter opinion is expressed
and there is blank suppression of every scrap which
might tend to inform the public that Hitler and mis-
associates are not dvinely appointed mortal gods.
Of course all Jews and "Marxists" barred from
holding any position in the newspaper profession.
For all this, which to us seems like utter degra-
dation. Herr Weiss is grateful He might we'll
accept it. for to resist would land him in jail and
persistent opposition might put his head on the
block We can only express mingled anger and
sorrow over the spectacle of raped and helpless
national press rendered useless to sixty millions Of
literate people. The one legitimate mission Of any
press is to inform its readers, permitting them to
apprase life's experience with some fair sense ct
values There can be no other basis for popular
government. If the German people do not wish to
descend to medievalism they must when the time
comes. recover possession of their newspapers and
relearn the meaning of intellectual freedom.-Edi-
tor and Publisher.