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Mass Media - Coggle Diagram
Mass Media
Newspapers
Main SED newspaper was Neues Deutschland, large circulation. Honecker met its editor daily to approve the front page.
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Newspapers had instructions on what they could write, the government funded them, only one agency could publish international news.
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After Berlin Wall - Only Western papers written by Communist parties, strict control on print and distribution of papers subversive of SED, very successful control measures.
All newspapers - SED leaders were adulated, widespread FRG social problems, promoted GDR anniversaries.
SED controlled 70% of publications, most of the rest were by FDJ or trade unions, these were either non-political or follow the Party line.
Church organisations with publications could only write about religious matters and be non-controversial.
Television
Controlled by Fernsehen der DDR with two stations to ensure the population got information that glorified socialism.
Western stations could be picked up by GDR homes from West Berlin, GDR news was not broadcast at the same time as FRG as more people would have listened to the West.
Popular entertainment was broadcast at the same time as FRG news to discourage switching to Western tv.
GDR programmes were very political and not subtle, weekly programme by leading propagandist, Karl Eduard Von Schnitzler, gave hostile views of the West, most East German said they did not watch it but they did and grew to despise him.
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East German children's programme 'The Sandman' was loved across generations and became a cultural icon. East Germans were hesitant of their own news broadcast but didn't necessarily believe the West.
Radio
By 1970, there were several radio stations.
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Broadcast music, spoken word and sports.
1985 - 6.6 million licensed radios in GDR, concerned the regime as Western radios broadcast across GDR and were often more popular.
In the young, demand for Western radio was high, weakened hold of GDR stations on the population.
Government tried to jam foreign signals, but this was outlawed by international agreement and risked the West jamming the East in retaliation.
Impact
Language presented through media was a key part of Abgrenzung (demarcation). By 1979s, media and education produced key distinctions in language.
Tended to Sovietise language in the GDR, have different words to the FRG and called West Berlin one word to make it seem different to the now 'Berlin, capital of the GDR'.
Russian was taught as the foreign language in schools leading to distinct cultural difference between the GDR and FRG.
People read and watched/listened to East German programmes but this was supplemented with Western Media which undermined the SED's propaganda and made them aware of the FRG's freedoms.
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