Review of Socialist Countries Press Agencies

Renata Piasecka-Strzelec

The paper presents characteristics of a number of press agencies operating after World War Two in Communist countries in Europe and elsewhere. The organisations being reviewed exchanged news bulletin with the Polish Press Agency on a reciprocity basis, maintaining bilateral and multilateral relationships. From 1954, meetings of managing directors of press agencies from Communist countries were regularly held to coordinate directions in information policy. Press agencies being reviewed put restrictions on access to information on internal situation in specific Communist countries in their news bulletins. An exception was the Hungarian press agency MTI, which was the only one to publish materials of critical nature.

KEYWORDS

communist countries, press agencies, information, propaganda