(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Robert Stricker, editor of the German Zionist weekly, “Die Neue Welt,” was ordered by the Criminal Court to pay a nominal fine in the libel suit instituted against him by Count Czernin, former Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Austro-Hungarian empire.
The “Neue Welt” published a series of articles attacking Count Czernin as the result of the publication of Count Czernin’s diary in which he had written disparagingly of Jews, terming them “moneygrubbing” and “ugly sunfish.” The articles charged that Count Czernin, notwithstanding his anti-Semitic views, was closely associated with Jewish merchants during the war and had engaged in profiteering, with which he charged the Jews.
The libel suit was not based on the entire series of the articles but on a few selected points. The newspaper could not produce proof on these points. The evidence relating to the other points mentioned in the articles was not admitted as relevant to the case.
After the court rendered its verdict, Attorney Plaschkes, Stricker’s counsel, was attacked by a monarchist officer, who approached him and slapped him in the face. The officer was arrested.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
