COLLAPSE OF THE WESTERN ARMENIAN PRESS OF CONSTANTINOPLE AND SMYRNA (1915-1918) IN THE YEARS OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
The entry of the Ottoman Empire into the First World War and committing the Armenian Genocide was a devastating blow to the Armenian press published in Western Armenia, Constantinople and Smyrna. As a result of the the Young Turks' policy of extermination of Armenians, the press published in the Ottoman empire ceased absulutely to exist in Western Armenia or almost completely in Constantinople. Hundreds of editors, publicists and journalists were arrested and deported. Four Armenian newspapers three of which in the Armenian language and one in Turkish using Armenian letters (whose existence needed the Ittihad falsified propaganda to show as if untroubled life of Armenians) were preserved out of dozens of newspapers and magazines. The mentioned newspapers appeared to be under the German-Turkish double ferocious censorship and being monitored by Martial law office (Divan-I harbi orfie). The volume of newspapers was considerably reduced. They were compelled by the censorship to publish false news [in the form of appendix, which was beneficial only for Turkey and its allies. In 1915-1918 the situation with the Armenian periodicals remained grave in Constantinople until the Armistice of Mudros (1918 October 30) and the crush of the Ittihad regime.
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