Published between the years of 1919-1922 in Istanbul, when the city was under Allied occupation post-WWI, the Orient News was published in English reflecting the politics of Britain at the time. Initially it received financial backing by the British Government but this was later removed and the newspaper had to finance itself.

This newspaper was distributed in a wide area covering the former Ottoman Empire lands of Bulgaria, Romania, Greece and extending in the East to the Caspian Sea. The paper carried mainly news and opinions but also news of arts events in Istanbul, meetings and recurring advertisements. The original idea for the publication of this newspaper was the prominent lawyer based in Istanbul, Harry E. Pears. As an example to emulate, the newspaper followed the style of ‘The Balkan News’ that was published in Salonica during WWI aimed at the British soldiers serving on that front, providing regional news for them.

The first edition of the Orient News was published in June 1919. Archives show a letter of Harry E. Pears who was employed in the British High Commission at the time, dated 8th March 1919, in which he commented on the lack of English language newspapers published in Istanbul and pointed to the small-scale newspaper published in English and Turkish by the Englishman Arnold P. Tully who worked for the Graham Insurance Company in that city. He further commented and expressed his views to the British Foreign Office that this person had changed his religion and made propaganda in favour of the Turks, adding “it is a shame such a person is able to continue his activities”. Harry E. Pears continues the letter thus: “The French are far more effective in the propaganda activities. General Deeds [British] is showing efforts in propaganda and urgently wants more done. However we should not also forget the trade effects of this as well.”

Further letters exchanged between Harry E. Pears and the Foreign Office eventually secures financial backing to this proposed newspaper.

A letter written on 14th May 1919 by Tom B. Hohler who was the diplomatic under-secretary of the British High Commission in Istanbul to a Gasellee working in the news department states: “Harry Collinson Owen who earlier published a newspaper for the British Army in Salonica estimates that a minimum of a £1000 is needed per year to publish a newspaper in Istanbul. In respect to this I am enclosing the letters the submission letter of 5 May 1919 and also the 12th May 1919 letter from the commander S.N. Horlick suggestion letter for the same newspaper. It was with this backing that the Orient News started its publication on 17th June 1919.

By October 1919 the daily sales of this newspaper were stated at 4,000 with around 1,000 sold and 3,000 distributed by hand with the readership being British and American residents and Turks who could read English and that this number could raise in the future. The address of the newspaper was given as ‘Kroeker’s Hotel, Pera’,^*

The newspaper in its initial issue on its first page explains the purpose of the publication under the title ‘Whose newspaper are we?’. The article explains they are the continuation of the ‘The Balkan News’ earlier published in Salonica and that there was a need by the long-term British residents in the region of an English language newspaper and that the publication is “to cater for the needs of our readers” and would include in its readership the region from Salonica to the Caspian Sea, including the land and sea British forces on the Black Sea coast. They add they would like to engage with all the British in the country and wish to develop with this cooperation.

On the 10th of September 1919 the issue of financial support to The Orient News came to the fore again and the British minister of finance at the time Victor Wellesley in his enquiring letter asked if the newspaper was distributed by English speaking Turks and who the readership was, Levantines of Istanbul, Greeks, Armenians, British and Americans.

In answer one of the British Commission officers by the name of Richard in his letter of 28 September 1919 stated that the editor of the Orient News at the time was in London to continue in his efforts to secure financial backing for the paper and that added that if the newspaper couldn’t be published for lack of funds it would be a major blow for the prestige of the British.

Harry Collinson Owen in his letter to Edward E. Long of the Foreign Office news service in London, dated 4th November 1919 stated even in English the newspaper helped the cause of Greek propaganda and reiterated that the newspaper couldn’t survive without financial support.

In a separate letter dated 20th August 1920 the enquiry concerned support in ways that were not monetary, such as machinary and supplies and a mention that the publication needed 2 linotype arrangement machines.

The Orient News was favoured by the British officials based in Istanbul, however could receive no support from the British Government propaganda expenditure for 1920 and 1921. The British High Commission in Istanbul and the Foreign Office in London could not achieve unity in views regarding The Orient News.