The last censors. Vladivostok Inspectorate for the Press in 1906–1917

Abstract

The article is based on unpublished documents of the Russian State Military Historical Archive (Moscow): fond 15762 “Vladivostok Military Censorship Station 1914–1917”, the Russian State Historical Archive (St. Petersburg): fond 776 “Main Directorate of Press Affairs” (files on the service of the Vladivostok press inspector N.V. Dufour and his deputy A.N. Zankovsky). Petersburg): fond 776 “Main Directorate for Press Affairs” (files on the service of Vladivostok Press Inspector N.V. Dufour and his deputy A.N. Zankovsky), Russian State Historical Archive of the Far East (Vladivostok): fond 24 “Vladivostok Press Inspector”. It shows the formation, financing and activities of the Vladivostok Press Inspectorate in 1906–1917 and gives a characterization of key staff members. Special attention is paid to the relations of Inspector N.V. Dufour with the reporting to him press and the administration of Primorsky Region. It is concluded that the inspector strove for cooperation between the authorities and the loyal periodicals. Enforcing strict observance of the law and regulations on the editorial offices of newspapers, inspector he tried to protect the media from unwarranted persecution on the part of the authorities, believing that unjustified punishment only excited the society against the government. Because of that, he often clashed with military governors and vice-governors. Such a policy failed during World War I, when the press inspectorate became a body for transmitting circulars to newspaper editors circulars on prohibition of covering certain topics in the press. As throughout the country, that gradually led to the loss of opportunities for dialogue and the loss of government control over the content of periodical press.