Chapter 68: Mastering Public Opinion for My Use!
Count Robert continued, "Your Highness, if we forcibly shut down the newspapers without the court's support, it would be highly detrimental to the royal family in the eyes of public opinion...
"You know, a few years ago, they caused a stir over something called 'freedom of the press.' The royal police arrested a few people, but this only led to a surge in articles criticizing the monarchy. In the end, His Majesty had to release those individuals."
At present, France was in a peculiar state.
Under the influence of the aristocracy, novelists and tabloid writers fabricated endless "little stories" about the royal family. As long as these individuals avoided being caught red-handed, they faced no consequences. For the public, gossip and rumors about the royal family had become a daily pastime.
Conversely, any hint of dissatisfaction from the monarchy would immediately be seized upon and magnified, leading to widespread criticism.
At its core, this was the bitter consequence of the monarchy losing control over public opinion.
Seeing Thérèse Préville de Foucault remain silent, Robert added cautiously, "Moreover, Your Highness, shutting down a few newspapers won’t solve the problem. Close one, and two more will pop up, continuing to spread rumors. Even if we shut down all unofficial publications, as the late king once tried, they would still resort to pamphlets...
"In fact, Her Majesty the Queen’s initial intention was to contain the situation as much as possible. Of course, if there’s solid evidence, the perpetrators of slander must be severely punished.
"For example, the editor of The Happy Man newspaper—when I found a slanderous manuscript mentioning Her Majesty the Queen in his office, I arrested him immediately. But as for the other newspapers, we currently lack evidence."
Thérèse stared at him, anger in her voice. "No evidence from the newspapers? Surely those pamphlets have some!
"I heard from Dati that they’re filled with insults about me and my mother—blatantly so! Why haven’t you arrested them?"
Robert’s face was strained. "Your Highness, such pamphlets are usually produced by one or two individuals in dimly lit basements and then secretly printed. It’s very difficult to track them down..."
Thérèse fell silent.
Since she was old enough to remember, she had always heard rumors slandering the King and Queen. They had never ceased. She knew deep down that if the secret police could catch these people, they would have acted long ago.
Nearby, Joseph frowned deeply. He had come with the intention of using the secret police to deal with newspapers opposing the tax bill.
But Robert’s warnings made him realize the issue was far more complex.
At present, the aristocracy was likely waiting for the royal family to resort to violence. They would then incite public opinion, linking it to the tax bill and accusing the monarchy of "abusing power." This would further weaken the bill’s position.
The judiciary and public opinion supported each other, and the major aristocrats had a firm grip on both. It was no wonder that when Louis XVI faced execution, he didn’t even have the opportunity to plead his case.
Thérèse’s eyes reddened suddenly. She curtsied slightly to Count Robert, saying, "Count Robert, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lost my temper with you. This isn’t your fault."
Robert hurriedly replied, "I understand your anger, Your Highness. You need not apologize."
Holding back tears, Thérèse picked up her round, plump Chartreux cat from her maid and walked out of the room.
Joseph wanted to console her, but he didn’t know what to say.
He desperately wanted to take action and raid those unscrupulous newspapers, but reason told him this would only play into the aristocracy’s hands.
As Robert had pointed out, shutting down one newspaper would only lead to countless others taking its place, followed by pamphlets.
Even during the strictest press control under Louis XV, journalists arrested and imprisoned continued their work behind bars. Moreover, it was during this time that liberal thinkers like Rousseau and Montesquieu emerged, flourishing like bamboo shoots after the rain.
France had undergone an Enlightenment, and the concept of free speech was deeply ingrained. It was no longer possible to control public opinion through sheer force.
Joseph suddenly froze, realizing his thoughts had been led astray by anger.
Why should he aim to suppress public opinion with force?
What he needed wasn’t to silence the voices of dissent but to control them, to use public opinion for his own purposes rather than trying to eliminate it!
This realization lit up his mind, and his thoughts began to clear.
As Thérèse’s maid passed by, Joseph stopped her and whispered, "Please tell my sister that I will make all the rumors disappear and ensure the slanderers apologize to her."
Dati’s eyes flashed with surprise. Although she thought the Crown Prince was merely trying to comfort the princess, she gratefully nodded. "Thank you, Your Highness. I will relay your words to the princess."
Joseph bid farewell to Robert and returned to his quarters, his mind occupied with strategies to control public opinion.
As someone familiar with the fierce battles on modern internet platforms, he understood the fundamental principle of influence: the size of your audience.
If your voice could reach 90% of the people, while your opponents could only influence 10%, your words would become the truth!
In this era, media was limited to newspapers, books, and pamphlets. How could he use these to quickly expand his audience?
He immediately thought of how the master novelist used The Smiling, Proud Wanderer to elevate the fledgling Ming Pao into a best-seller in no time.
In the 18th century, people had few forms of entertainment, and Joseph had plenty of "weapons" just as powerful as The Smiling, Proud Wanderer.
When it came to content, not even the combined efforts of every newspaper and publishing house in Europe could compete with him.
First, he needed a publication of his own. Then, with unparalleled quality, he could quickly dominate the readership.
Turning to Eymond, Joseph said, "Please compile information on all the newspapers and printing workshops in Paris as soon as possible."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Eymond left quickly, while Joseph continued his deliberations. After securing quality content, the next steps were pricing and distribution channels...
Various plans began to take shape in Joseph’s mind, and his expression gradually relaxed. A war of public opinion? Bring it on.
The monarchy had relinquished control of the media for far too long. It was time to reclaim it!
Before three o’clock in the afternoon, Eymond returned, winded, and placed a large stack of documents respectfully in front of Joseph.
These were detailed records of every newspaper in Paris. Since newspapers had to register with the courts, their information wasn’t confidential and was easy to obtain.
Joseph reviewed the information on all 57 newspapers and several printing workshops in Paris. His attention finally landed on The Paris Gazette.
Though a small newspaper with a circulation of less than 800, it met all his requirements.