Reptile Journalism

As Dobroszycki, who left Poland in 1969 and is a historian at Yeshiva University in New York City, verifies in his seminal study, the term ``reptile journalism,'' coined in 19th century Prussia, perfectly expresses the occupation press in his WWII homeland. Although his book was originally published in 1977 (in Germany only), it remains significant because little has been written on the subject in the U.S. Dobroszycki establishes that Poland was a ``singular phenomenon'' among occupied countries, for only there did the Germans disband the native press and confiscate all radios, close all schools, terrorize rather than attempt to appease the populace or form a collaborationist government. The Generalgouvernement in occupied Poland regarded the press as a crucial propaganda instrument, so replaced the indigenous press with its own Polish-language newspapers, even a phoney underground press. Yet, shows Dobroszycki, careful readers were able to infer much from these newspapers about the progress of the war: the emergence of the Big Three, for example, and the failure of the Russian and African campaigns. As to the influence of the reptile press, which had a vast circulation, Dobroszycki's only comment is it's difficult to evaluate.