La presse de Vienne et la question ď Orient : 1821-1827

Abstract

Among the various and predominantly literary or encyclopedic news 

papers and journals that appeared in Vienna in the 19th century, two of them
—the Wiener Zeitung, and the Oesterreichiscker Beobachter— represented the political press of the period. The former was the official gazette where laws, decrees, as well as news on current affairs were published; the latter published political news and information acquired first hand through its correspondents
in various parts of Europe and the world, news which were subsequently published by the majority of the rest of the European newspapers.
The Oesterreichiscker Beobachter echoed the official conservative opinions of the Imperial Austrian Court, and those of Count Metternich’s in particular; it presented news items especially those concerning the Greek War of Independence subtly, stressing the Turkish point-of-view and, in contrast to most other European newspapers, provided no systematic analysis of such problems. Thus nowhere is there any comment to be found on the origins of the Greek insurrection, on the purported legitimacy of the Sultan,
on the rapports between the Porte and the Great Powers.
To understand the attitude of the Oesterreichiscker Beobachter, one has to bear in mind that Gentz, its chief correspondent, was in direct communication with the Porte, frequently substituting the official diplomats of his country. Yet, Gentz’s views did not openly appear in the newspaper; it tried to appear impartial and neither condemned the Turks nor favoured the Greek cause, following a calculating policy.
Nevertheless, the Oesterreichiscker Beobachter was incontestably negative to the affairs of the East, which is partially understandable, given the sympathies both Metternich and Gentz had, concerning the stability of the existing conservative social order, which the Greek insurrection was about to break. It should not be forgotten that the Wiener Zeitung, sided with the Oesterreichiscker Beobachter, published the same news, in the same formulations, drawing from the same sources. Therefore, the Wiener Zeitung too, influenced public opinion, even though its circulation was confined to the German-speaking countries.