Die Neue Zeitung was first published on October 17, 1945 in Munich and continued publication until January 30, 1955. The paper was initially published twice weekly, later increasing to six times a week.
''Die Neue Zeitung'' as an American-controlled media outlet
The Information Control Division of the American Occupation Authority acted as publisher of the newspaper. Although the Division allowed German editors and journalists to write, it never gave up ultimate editorial control of the publication. This was made clear in the newspaper's title bar: "Die Neue Zeitung - An American newspaper for the German people." Die Neue Zeitung'' was considered a means of political re-education for the German population by its American publishers. It was a high quality publication, but after 1949 could not keep up with competition amid the rapid re-growth of the newspaper industry in Germany.
Starting in early 1947, the American Sector of Berlin had its own separate edition of the NZ. This Berlin edition made sense because in Berlin, the former German capital, the Allied Control Council had strong influence and the interests of the Soviet Union and United States were increasingly at odds. Publication of the NZ in Berlin was seen as necessary to prevent the Sovietization of the Germans there. The NZ in Berlin operated autonomously under the editorship of Marcel Fodor. The feature section of the Berlin NZ - the so-called Feuilleton, covering literature, art, and culture - was under the direction of Friedrich Luft, long known for his theater reviews in the RIAS. Hans Schwab-Felisch was another prominent contributor to the Berlin edition's Feuilleton. Schwab-Felisch later worked at the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and became editor of Merkur, Germany's leading intellectual review. Other contributors to the Feuilleton included freelancers Will Grohmann and Hans Heinz Stuckenschmidt.
Later developments and end of publication
Starting in June 1949 a Frankfurt edition of Die Neue Zeitung was established. In 1951, the Munich and Frankfurt editions were merged into a single Frankfurt edition. After September 1953, the Neue Zeitung appeared only in Berlin. In March 1955, the paper ceased operations entirely.
Contributors
The following are some of the contributors to DieNeue Zeitung. The author Erich Kästner was senior editor of the feature section. Robert Lembke, later a television personality, directed the section on domestic politics. Other prominent contributors include:
