“Blank marks”, “white spots", “empty columns” – these are all terms for newspaper pages and parts of pages from which information was removed for reasons of censorship or protest. Periodicals with blank pages or parts of pages first appeared in the Baltics in the 19th century. The reason for this was pre-censorship – checking the text of a periodical before publication. This control was ensured by censorship committees.
One such censorship committee was set up in Riga. Provincial publications were subject to the strictest censorship. Many newspapers were not allowed to leave the printing press until the censor's permission had been obtained. The list of undesirable and forbidden subjects included various political, economic, and social issues that could have caused dissatisfaction among the population: from city administration and litigation to issues related to schools, churches, and language. If the censors found an article objectionable, the newspaper was published without it.
Traces of censorship in the newspaper “Latviešu Avīzes”, Issue No. 36 (06.02.1915)
Selection from the National Library of Latvia collection “[CUT OUT]. Censorship in the history of Latvian mass media” (2022)
Photo: Kristians Luhaers
Each planned text took up a certain amount of space on the page. When the censor banned an article, it not only caused a loss in wasted time but also upset the whole previous distribution of space in the newspaper. The editors often had no material to fill the resulting gaps, so the newspapers reached readers with white spots.
The history of ‘blank spaces’ continued into the 20th century. At first, it was maintained by war censorship, and later by the control of state authorities. In times of armed conflict, political upheaval, and unrest, the ‘blank spaces’ have become a form of protest by the press. Today, the use of the blank spaces is still common when a publisher wishes to draw public attention to current issues and problems.
Blank spaces and pages in modern newspapers
Selection from the National Library of Latvia collection “[CUT OUT]. Censorship in the history of Latvian mass media” (2022)
Photo: Kristians Luhaers
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