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UnitedStatesHolocaustMemorialMuseum

WritingtheNews
Reflectinginhisdiary(April14,1943)duringthewaronthepress'slossof
independence,JosephGoebbels,aonetimejournalist,wrote:"Anymanwhostillhasa
residueofhonorwillbeverycarefulnottobecomeajournalist."

WhenHitlercametopowerin1933,Germanyhadawelldevelopedcommunications
infrastructure.

Over4,700dailyandweeklynewspaperswerepublishedannuallyinGermany,more
newspapersthaninanyotherindustrializednation,withatotalcirculationof25
million.AlthoughBerlinwasthepresscapital,smalltownpressesdominated
InBerlin,aGermanwomanreadsacopyof
newspapercirculation(81%ofallGermannewspaperswerelocallyowned).Eight
theBerlinerIllustriertenewspaper,featuring
paperspublishedinlargercities,however,hadestablishedinternationalreputations.
photographsofMussolini'sofficialvisitto
Germany'smovieindustryrankedamongtheworld'slargest,itsfilmshadwon BerlininSeptember1937.
internationalacclaim,andithadpioneeredinthedevelopmentofbothradioand
USHolocaustMemorialMuseum
television.

EstablishingControlofthePress

WhenHitlertookpowerin1933,theNaziscontrolledlessthanthreepercentofGermany's4,700papers.Theeliminationofthe
multipartypoliticalsystemnotonlybroughtaboutthedemiseofhundredsofnewspapersproducedbyoutlawedpoliticalpartiesitalso
allowedthestatetoseizetheprintingplantsandequipmentoftheCommunistandSocialDemocraticParties,whichwereoftenturned
overdirectlytotheNaziParty.Inthefollowingmonths,theNazisestablishedcontrolorexertedinfluenceoverindependentpressorgans.

Duringthefirstweeksof1933,theNaziregimedeployedtheradio,press,andnewsreelstostokefearsofapendingCommunist
uprising,thenchanneledpopularanxietiesintopoliticalmeasuresthateradicatedcivillibertiesanddemocracy.

Withinmonths,theNaziregimedestroyedGermany'spreviouslyvigorousfreepress.By1941,theNaziParty'sEherpublishinghouse
hadbecomethelargesteverinGermanhistory,anditsmaindailynewspaper,theVlkischerBeobachter(TheNationalObserver)had
reachedacirculationofover1,000,000.

ThenewspaperVlkischerBeobachter(People'sObserver),whichHitlerhadpurchasedforthepartyin1920,announcedmeetingsand
othernewstomembersandextendedtheparty'sreachbeyondthebeerhallandPartygathering.Circulationrosealongwiththesuccess
oftheNazimovement,reachingmorethan120,000in1931and1.7millionby1944.

EditedbytheantisemiticwriterandNaziideologueAlfredRosenberg,theVlkischerBeobachterspecializedinshorthyperbolesof
favoriteNazithemes:thehumiliationoftheVersaillesTreaty,theweaknessofWeimarparliamentarianism,andtheevilofworldJewry
andBolshevism,allofwhichwerecontrastedwithNazipatrioticslogans.
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OneMan,OnePaper

DerStrmerwasthemostnotorious,antisemiticnewspaperinGermany.Naziprovincialleader[Gauleiter]JuliusStreicher,aformer
schoolteacherturnedNaziactivist,editedanddirectedthepaper.

Thenewspaperranformorethan20years,from1923to1945,publishingluridtalesofJewishritualmurder,sexcrimes,andfinancial
malfeasance.DuringtheWeimarRepublic,theoutrageousandlibelousclaimsofDerStrmerfrequentlyresultedinlawsuitsfiledby
outragedpoliticiansandJewishorganizationsagainstStreicherhimselfandthenewspaper.

FollowingtheNazitakeover,however,thefortunesofthepaperanditseditorskyrocketed.Circulationdramaticallyincreasedfrom
14,000in1927toalmost500,000in1935.ThoughforeignvisitorsandmanyGermans,includingsomeNazipropagandists,foundthe
onetopicnewspaperoffensive,HitlerrefusedtoclosedownDerStrmer,evenafteraNaziPartyCourtstrippedStreicherofhispolitical
andPartyofficesbecauseofcorruption.

Duringthe1930s,GermanscouldfindDerStrmeronsidewalksandstreetcornersthroughoutGermany.Streichersetupnumerous
displaycasestopromotehisantisemiticpropagandaandincreasecirculation.Tofillallthesedisplayboxesandsubscriptions,he
sometimesincreasedprintrunsofthenewspaperto2,000,000.

JewishNewspapersasCommunalResponse

EvenastheNazipropagandamachinehijackedtheGermanpressinserviceofitsracistideology,newspaperspublishedbylocalJewish
communities(Gemeinden)fortheirmembersbecamealifelineforJewsintownsandcitiesacrossGermanyandalinkbetweenlocal
communitiesandtheleadersofJewishnationalorganizations.

AfterthenationwideboycottofJewishbusinessesinApril1933,ArnoHerzberg,bureauchiefoftheJewishTelegraphicAgencyin
Berlin,wrote:ThenewcircumstancesinwhichGermanJewrynowfindsitselfhavealsoheraldedanewerafortheJewishpress.This
newerahasusheredinfarreachingtasksforJewishjournalism.Beforehand,theJewishpressledaquietexistence.Itwasperipheralto
theconcernsoftheaverageGermanJewAllthishaschangedfundamentallyintheerainwhichJewsareexcludedfrombroadGerman
intellectualandsocialcircles.

ThesecommunalnewspaperspublishedarticlesandeditorialsmeanttostrengthenapositiveJewishidentityinthefaceofdegrading
officialantisemiticpropaganda,andtoprovidethemembersofthecommunitywithadviceandencouragementformeetingthedaily
challengescreatedbylifeundertheNaziantiJewishlegislation.AsmoreandmoreJewsemigratedfromGermany,manysmaller
Gemeindendisappearedandtheirnewspapersclosed.OnNovember11,1938,followingtheviolenceoftheKristallnachtpogrom,the
GermangovernmentforbadetheremainingJewishcommunalnewspaperstopublish.Jewsnowhadtoreceiveallnewsandofficial
announcementsfromthegovernmentcontrolledJdischesNachrichtenblatt.

GermanauthoritiesdidnotrequireJewishcommunalnewspaperstoadheretotheregulationsimposedontheGermanpressatlarge.For
instance,Jewishpublicationswerenotobligatedtopublishwordforwordthetalkingpointsorrepeattheofficialpropagandaissuedby
theMinistryofPropagandaatitsdailypressconferences.GermanauthoritiesdidforbidnonJewseithertopurchaseorreadtheseJewish
communalnewspapers.

NewAvenuesforPropaganda:Film,Radio,Television

TheNazisunderstoodthepowerandattractionofemergingtechnologies,suchasfilm,loudspeakers,radio,andtelevision,intheservice
ofpropaganda.ThesetechnologiesofferedtheNazileadershipameansformassdisseminationoftheirideologicalmessagesanda
vehicleforreinforcingthemythoftheVolksgemeinschaft(NationalCommunity)throughcommunallisteningandviewingexperiences.

After1933,GermanradiobroadcastHitler'sspeechesintohomes,factories,andevenontocitystreetsthroughloudspeakers.Officialsin
Goebbels'MinistryofPropagandasawthetremendouspromiseofradioforpropaganda.Theministryheavilysubsidizedthecreationof
theinexpensivePeople'sRadio(Volksempfnger)tofacilitatesales.By1935,about1.5millionoftheseradiosweresold,giving
Germanyoneofthelargestradiolisteningpublicsintheworld.

In1935,Germanybecamethefirstnationtointroduceregulartelevisionservice.MinisterofPropagandaJosephGoebbelssawthegreat
propagandapotentialofthenewmedium,butbelieveditwasbestexperiencedthroughcollectiveviewing,likethecinemaortheater.

BehindtheHeadlines:NaziMediaManipulationKristallnacht
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3/23/2017 WritingtheNews

OnthenightofNovember9/10,1938,NazileadersinstigatedawaveofviolencethatdevastatedJewishcommunitiesthroughoutthe
GreaterGermanReichandoutragedworldopinion.AttheurgingofPropagandaMinisterJosephGoebbels,localandregionalNazi
leadersengagedinwantondestructionandbrutality,usingtheassassinationofaGermandiplomatinParisbyanangryJewishteenager
tojustifytheviolence.OnKristallnacht(theNightofBrokenGlass),riotersdamagedordestroyedsome7,500Jewishbusinesses,
torchedhundredsofsynagogues,andmurdered91Jews.

Duringthefollowingdays,theGermanSecurityPolicearrestedupto30,000JewishmenandincarceratedtheminBuchenwald,Dachau,
andSachsenhausenconcentrationcamps.

EvenasnewspapersaroundtheworldreportedontheeventsandconsequencesofKristallnacht,theGermanPropagandaMinistry's
engagedinseriousdamagecontrolthroughastagemanagedmediacampaignthatsoughttojustifythepassionsbehindtheviolenceby
attributingittospontaneousoutrageoftheGermanpeople,andtominimizetheactualscaleofthedeathanddestruction.

ThebehindthescenespressmanipulationsurroundingthiseventrevealstheinformationanddamagecontroloperationsoftheNazi
propagandamachine(toboththeGermanandinternationalpublic)andhowquicklyitrespondedtooutsidecriticismandbreakingnews.

ForbiddenBroadcasts:ForeignRadioasanAlternativeSourceofNews

Duringtimesofwar,governmentsgenerallyrestrictandcensorpublicaccesstoinformationinordertopreventsensitivedataleakingto
theenemyortoisolatethedomesticpopulationfrominformationthatmightunderminepublicmorale.AfterGermanyinvadedPolandon
September1,1939,theNaziregimeimplementeddraconianmeasurestopreventitspopulationfromreceivingoutsideinformation.The
Germangovernmentprohibiteditscitizensfromlisteningtoforeignbroadcasts.Doingsobecameacriminaloffense.Germancourts
couldsentencepersonswhodisseminatedstoriesfromenemyradiostationstoprisontermsorevendeath.

GuidedbyfearsthatAlliedpropagandainWorldWarIhaderodedGermanmoraleandencouragedunrest,Germanauthoritieshopedthat
thethreatofseverepunishmentforlisteningtoforeignbroadcastswouldreinforceeffortstoinsulatethepopulationfromenemylies.In
spiteofthewatchfuleyesandearsofGestapoandNaziPartyinformants,millionsofGermanstunedintotheBritishBroadcasting
Corporation(BBC)andotherforbiddenbroadcastingstationstogatherinformation.

CopyrightUnitedStatesHolocaustMemorialMuseum,Washington,DC

UnitedStatesHolocaustMemorialMuseum
100RaoulWallenbergPlace,SW
Washington,DC200242126
Maintelephone:202.488.0400
TTY:202.488.0406

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