| Title | Definite pub. date range - frequency | Editor - nature | City of pub. |
|---|---|---|---|
| French language newspapers | |||
| La Smyrneena - cont. as | 1824, the first in the city | Charles Tricon (1824), M. Roux (1824) | Smyrna |
La Spectateur Oriental - cont. as  |
24 March 1821 to end 1837, once a week | Charles Tricon (1824), Alexandre Blacque (1824) - phillo-Turkish newspaper, Feuille litteraire, critique et commerciale. | Smyrna |
| Le Courrier de Smyrne |
1824 - 1905 - twice weekly | Alexandre Blacque (1824), Reggio Gaston (1893), later Jules Regio (1905) - online example of an issue from 1887 | Smyrna |
| Journal de Smyrna | ? | Anthony Edwards (1830s) ?, F. Murat (1905) | Smyrna |
| Journal de Constantinople | 1839-1845+? | ? | Const. |
| La Turquie | 1867-1875 | ? | Const. |
| La Réforme | 1868-1918 - twice a week (1893), 6 days a week (1905) | E. Oscan (1893), Nikolai Çürükçüoğlu (1905), Frank Street, Allioti Han | Smyrna |
| Stamboul | ? -1918-1918 (earlier suspended by government order 3 times) | ? | Const. |
| Le Matin (launched upon the suspension of ‘Stamboul’ |
1879-1879+? | owner Alfred Edwards1 | Const. |
| Petit Sou1 | ? | owner Alfred Edwards1 | Const. |
| Le Progrès d’Orient | 1874-1874 | ? | Const. |
| Le Courrier de Turquie | 1882-1882 | ? | Const. |
| Le Temps de Constantinople | 1882-1882 | ? | Const. |
| Affiches Smyrneennes | 1893 | Fr. Datodi - view advert in Indicateur Commercial 1898-1899 | Smyrna |
| Bulletin de Smyrne | 1893 - 1905 - four times, later twice weekly | Simon Roux | Smyrna |
| Imperial | 1893 - twice weekly | A. Viramps | Smyrna |
| Le Journal de la Chambre de Commerce de Constaninople | 1894-1912 | ? | Const. |
| Agence Nationale Service Télégraphique | 1896-1896 | ? | Const. |
| Hilal | 1917-1918 | ? | Const. |
| Lloyd Ottoman | 1917-1918 | ? | Const. |
| Le Moniteur Oriental | 1917-1919 | ? | Const. |
| L’Entente | 1919-1919 | ? | Const. |
| La Liberté | 1918-1919+? | manager L. Ksanthakis - view sample issues: | Const. |
| Independant | 1919-? | John Çürükçüoğlu, Frank Street, Allioti Han | Const. |
| Le Levant | 1919 - 1937 | owner Sırrı Bey, chief author Michel Camberes, Frank Street no 136 - view sample issues: | Izmir |
| Lloyd Ottoman | 1917-1918 | ? | Const. |
| Le Moniteur Oriental | 1917-1919 | ? | Const. |
| Le Soir | 1917-1918 | ? | Const. |
| Le Journal d’Orient | 1917-1971 | ? - view examples - a cosmopolitan paper with some cultural Levantine flavour. Founded in 1917 by Albert Karasu (Jewish?), principal columnists Angele Loreley wife of Jourdor Karasu and Willy Sperco. | Istanbul |
| La République | 1946-1951 | ? | Izmir |
| English language newspapers | |||
| Impartial | 1840 - 1905 ? | Anthony Edwards (1840), Simon Rue (1905) - French - view example | Smyrna |
| The Smyrna Mail | 1862-1864 | ? | Smryna |
| The Levant Times and Shipping Gazette - cont. as |
1868-1874 | ? | Const. |
| The Levant Herald - cont. as |
1873-1882 | editor Lewis Mizzi1 | Const. |
| The Eastern Express - cont. as |
1882-1886 | ? - view example | Const. |
| The Levant Herald and Eastern Express |
1856-1914 | ? | Const. |
| The Constantinople Messanger - cont. as - daily | 1871-1877 | ? - view example | Const. |
| The Harpoot News | 1873-1878 | ? | Harput |
| The Orient News | 1919-1922 | information | Const. |
The Orient |
1910-1922 |
Published by the American Bible House - examples |
Const. |
| Italian language newspapers | |||
| Bollettino Mensile | ? | ? - non-political magazine | Const. |
| Eco d’Italia | 1885 | Michelle Pellegrino | Smyrna |
| Il Messaggero Degli Italiani | 1927 | ? - non-political | Istanbul |
| La Rassegna Italiana | 1931, monthly | ? - political magazine | Istanbul |
| Vita Cattolica | ?, weekly | ? - magazine | Const. |
| German language newspapers | |||
| Die Verteididung | 1915-1918 | ? | Const. |
| Osmanischer Lloyd | 1917-1918 | shipping gazette ? | Const. |
The definition of a Levantine paper is not precise as not all editors were Levantines, and the readership wasn’t necessarily exclusively of this community, but were produced in Western European languages. This list is ongoing, and excludes certain catagories, such as papers produced for the benefit of Allied troops in occupation in Izmir, Black Sea region etc. as well as papers edited by Levantines but produced in the Turkish language such as the Ceredi-e Havadis. The listing also excludes publications by the various churches such as ‘La Voce’ (Catholic in Izmir), ‘Candlesticks’ (former Anglican in Izmir - segments), ‘Le Pelerin’ (former Catholic in Istanbul) etc.
There were pre 1922 Greek language papers such as Amalthia published in Smyrna read by a considerable body of Greek Catholics considered Levantines, that could be added to this list for that reason. The fuller listing: Amalthia est. 1838, Esti est. 1910, Tharros est. 1913, Kopanos est. 1908, Kosmos est. 1909, Patris est. 1919, Smirnios est. 1909, Tilegrafos est. 1911, Nea Smyrni (1869 - 1912). The Armenian publications of the city: Arevelian Mamul est. 1879, Orizon, Evdomadiea, Mimos, Zaveot, Adrusan. Jewish: O Nuvelist, Messeret, Pregonero, Salom, Boz de Izmir. Turkish: Ahenk, Islahat, Medeniyet, Musavat, Sağdıç, Köylü, Şark.
Information sources include the Colindale Newspaper library of London, Fabio Tito, Melisa Urgandokur and Alex Baltazzi.
1- Another source of information is ‘Quand Beyoglu s’appelait Pera [when Beyoğlu was called Pera] - Said N. Duhani, edited at the magazine La Turquie Moderne 1956’.
2- Another information source is the book ‘Vie Latine de l’Empire Ottoman - Lusignan, Livio Missir De - Isis 2004’, giving information on prominent writers and editors of the various publications.
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3- Censorship was a persistent issue with all newspapers printed in the Ottoman Empire, and name changes frequently were the means by which a banned paper could be resurrected. Mark Twain in his book ‘Innocents Abroad’ has certain information on this vein:
“The newspaper business has its inconveniences in Constantinople. Two Greek papers and one French one were suppressed here within a few days of each other. No victories of the Cretans are allowed to be printed. From time to time the Grand Vizier sends a notice to the various editors that the Cretan insurrection is entirely suppressed, and although that editor knows better, he still has to print the notice. The Levant Herald is too fond of speaking praisefully of Americans to be popular with the Sultan, who does not relish our sympathy with the Cretans, and therefore that paper has to be particularly circumspect in order to keep out of trouble. Once the editor, forgetting the official notice in his paper that the Cretans were crushed out, printed a letter of a very different tenor, from the American Consul in Crete, and was fined two hundred and fifty dollars for it. Shortly he printed another from the same source and was imprisoned three months for his pains. I think I could get the assistant editorship of the Levant Herald, but I am going to try to worry along without it.
To suppress a paper here involves the ruin of the publisher, almost. But in Naples I think they speculate on misfortunes of that kind. Papers are suppressed there every day, and spring up the next day under a new name. During the ten days or a fortnight we stayed there one paper was murdered and resurrected twice. The newsboys are smart there, just as they are elsewhere. They take advantage of popular weaknesses. When they find they are not likely to sell out, they approach a citizen mysteriously, and say in a low voice — “Last copy, sir: double price; paper just been suppressed!” The man buys it, of course, and finds nothing in it. They do say — I do not vouch for it — but they do say that men sometimes print a vast edition of a paper, with a ferociously seditious article in it, distribute it quickly among the newsboys, and clear out till the Government’s indignation cools. It pays well. Confiscation don’t amount to any thing. The type and presses are not worth taking care of.”
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