Miłosz Hrycek: The Last Days of Freedom. The Lodz daily newspapers from August to September 1939

Before the war, the Press was tested directly. On one hand, it fulfilled the role of information provider. On the other hand, a government embargo limited the information it could publish; for example, information which could have made the recognition of terrain possible by the enemy, or the position of the armies and individual units, armaments or the condition of the army troops. By July, all discussion relating to the internal policies of the country had already disappeared from their columns. The focus had switched to discussions of our allies military power. According to Lodz journalists, the will of the people should have been able to oppose fascist aggression. Germany was being pulled apart by social and economical problems and strong opposition in the Third Reich, and was supposedly easy to conquer. Apart from political information, newspaper columns were also filled with practical messages: how to protect yourself from attacks from the air, gas attacks or ways of storing food. The propaganda in Lodz dailies moved the Polish army up in the world. Local victories would have a positive impact on events on the Polish frontline. In this way Lodz journalists wanted to keep people's morale high. In this period the only winner was the Press. People were hungry for information and looked for words of consolation and reassurance. However, the beginning of the war disrupted the work of the Lodz editing quickly.