''Truth'' was a British periodical publication founded by the diplomat and

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

politician

Henry Labouchère Henry Du Pré Labouchère (9 November 1831 – 15 January 1912) was an English politician, writer, publisher and theatre owner in the Victorian era, Victorian and Edwardian eras. He is now most remembered for the Labouchere Amendment, Labouchè ...

. The first issue was published on 4 January 1877. Labouchère founded the periodical after he left a virtual rival publication, ''The World''. ''Truth'' was known for its exposures of many kinds of frauds, and was at the centre of several civil lawsuits. Although Labouchère himself contributed to ''Truth'', it was for the most part controlled by Horace Voules in its early days. Later in its existence, ''Truth'' was close to the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

. In 1941, it was briefly the subject of political controversy following allegations made in

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

, but publication continued when the allegations were refuted. Later, ''Truth'' came under the direction of

Collin Brooks Collin Brooks (22 December 1893 – 1959), frequently known as "CB", was a British journalist, writer, and broadcaster. In 1913 he founded the Manchester Press Agency. In 1915 he joined the British Army, where he was awarded the Military Cross as ...

. In its final years, it moved away from its right-wing editorial line back to the more liberal agenda of its early days. ''Truth'' ceased publication in 1957.

Exposés

The Christmas Edition 1890 received international attention, as it published a conversation with a professor of hypnosis who described a dream of the

German Emperor The German Emperor (german: Deutscher Kaiser, ) was the official title of the head of state and hereditary ruler of the German Empire. A specifically chosen term, it was introduced with the 1 January 1871 constitution and lasted until the offi ...

, under the title "The Kaiser's Dream". In this dream, the

Kaiser ''Kaiser'' is the German word for "emperor" (female Kaiserin). In general, the German title in principle applies to rulers anywhere in the world above the rank of king (''König''). In English, the (untranslated) word ''Kaiser'' is mainly ap ...

engages in a war with Russia which results in the fall of all the

monarchies A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutional monarchy), ...

of Europe, and ''Truth'' presented a colored map to show the results after this war. The story about "The Kaiser's Dream" was sometimes interpreted to be a prophecy for the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. At that time the magazine had a circulation of one million. In 1892, Labouchère exposed the

Society of Science, Letters and Art The Society of Science, Letters and Art, also known as the Society of Science or SSLA, was a ''soi-disant'' learned society which flourished between 1882 and 1902. Dr Edward Albert Sturman, M.A., F.R.S.L., owned and ran the Society for his own f ...

as a fraudulent

learned society A learned society (; also learned academy, scholarly society, or academic association) is an organization that exists to promote an discipline (academia), academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and s ...

which invited eminent but gullible persons, as well as ordinary people interested in the sciences and arts, to pay for fellowship and for permission to append the letters F.S.Sc. after their name.''Evening Post'', New Zealand, Volume XLV, Issue 132, 7 June 1893, p.2: A bogus literary society
Retrieved 6 February 2014

Ramps and libels

Under Labouchère, whom media of the time called an "unruly" man, ''Truth'' became known for both its

investigative journalism Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years rese ...

into frauds and its legal troubles. The newspaper was sued many times, mostly unsuccessfully. In 1934, Conservative Party politician

Derek Walker-Smith, Baron Broxbourne Derek Colclough Walker-Smith, Baron Broxbourne, (13 April 1910 – 22 January 1992), known as Sir Derek Walker-Smith, Bt, from 1960 to 1983, was a British Conservative Party politician. The son of Sir Jonah Walker-Smith (1874–1964) and his ...

sympathetically wrote: During Collin Brooks' time as editor of ''Truth'', he kept one in-tray for letters and another for libels.

Political controversy

A major controversy on ''Truth'' and its political agenda came during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, when false allegations were made implying that it was sympathetic to

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

Josiah Wedgwood Josiah Wedgwood (12 July 1730 – 3 January 1795) was an English potter, entrepreneur and abolitionist. Founding the Wedgwood company in 1759, he developed improved pottery bodies by systematic experimentation, and was the leader in the indust ...

, a

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

MP, spoke in Parliament in October 1941 accusing ''Truth'' of being fascist and "a

Quisling ''Quisling'' (, ) is a term used in Scandinavian languages and in English meaning a citizen or politician of an occupied country who collaborates with an enemy occupying force – or more generally as a synonym for ''traitor''. The word ori ...

paper" and called for publication to be halted. This situation was particularly embarrassing, as the publication had been virtually under the ownership of the Conservative Party for five years by that date, having been bought by the National Publicity Bureau and with Lord Luke of Pavenham as Chairman of Directors. The allegations were rebutted, ''Truth'' continued to be published, and the Home Office successfully reduced the debate. Collin Brooks had taken over the Editorship of ''Truth'' a year earlier, Friday 15 November 1940, and was editor from 1940 to 1953. His deputy was

A. K. Chesterton Arthur Kenneth Chesterton (1 May 1899 – 16 August 1973) was a British far-right journalist and political activist. From 1933 to 1938, he was a member of the British Union of Fascists (BUF). Disillusioned with Oswald Mosley, he left the ...

, who had earlier been associated with

Oswald Mosley Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet (16 November 1896 – 3 December 1980) was a British politician during the 1920s and 1930s who rose to fame when, having become disillusioned with mainstream politics, he turned to fascism. He was a member ...

's fascist movement and later became chairman of the far right-wing National Front.

Post-war

''Truth'' passed through various owners after the death of Labouchère before becoming a Limited Company under the majority control of director Collin Brooks, with S.J. Elliott and John Gray as the other two directors by 1947.

Viscount Camrose Viscount Camrose, of Hackwood Park in the County of Hampshire, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 20 January 1941 for the prominent newspaper magnate William Berry, 1st Baron Camrose. He had previously received the ...

considered only six periodicals of the day to be worthy of mention as "political periodicals" in his book anticipating the requirements of the Royal Commission's report on the control of the press, of which ''Truth'' was one. In 1953, ''Truth'' was put up for sale, and was bought by Ronald Staples, a publisher who was interested in publishing a weekly magazine. He removed all the right-wing staff, radically changed what he called the "extremely whiffy political and racial line", and appointed a new editorial staff, headed by Vincent Evans. The last issue of ''Truth'' was published on 27 December 1957. Its last editor,

George Edwin Scott George Edwin Scott (22 June 1925 – 2 November 1988), was a British author, television commentator, broadcaster, journalist and Liberal Party politician. He was editor of ''The Listener'' for five years. Background Scott was born the son of Geo ...

, learned of its closure the following day in a letter from the principal shareholder, the Staples printing and publishing group, which no longer wished to maintain the publication following the death of Ronald Staples. Scott's deputy in the last years of publication was the young

Bernard Levin Henry Bernard Levin (19 August 1928 – 7 August 2004) was an English journalist, author and broadcaster, described by ''The Times'' as "the most famous journalist of his day". The son of a poor Jewish family in London, he won a scholarship t ...

. Other members of the editorial staff in the last years of publication included Anthony Howard and

Alan Brien Alan Brien (12 March 1925 – 23 May 2008) was an English journalist best known for his novel ''Lenin''. This took the form of a fictional diary charting Vladimir Lenin's life from the death of his father to shortly before his own demise in 1924. ...

.Howard, Anthony (22 July 1978). "The rise and peaceful fall of the Weeklies". ''The Times'', London, p. 12

References

Sources