The Berliner Journal (later the Ontario Journal) was a German-language weekly-newspaper published in Berlin, Canada (later Kitchener) from 1859 to 1918. The newspaper was founded by German immigrants and John Motz, who operated the paper together through most of its existence until their sons – William John Motz, Herman Rittinger and John Adam Rittinger – took over the operation at the turn of the century.
German speakers made up a large segment of those immigrating to Canada in the 19th century, and demand for German-language publications in Upper Canada was high. When founded, the Berliner Journal was one of several German-language newspapers in Ontario. By 1908, competitors had either ceased publication or amalgamated into it, making the Journal one of only two German papers in Ontario and the most widely read in Canada. At its peak, circulation was over 5,000 with a readership spanning the country and extending into the northern United States.
The outbreak of the First World War led to rising anti-German sentiment in Canada. After Berlin changed its name to Kitchener in 1916, the newspaper was renamed the Ontario Journal in January 1917. A 1918 Order in Council prohibiting the use of "enemy languages" in Canadian publications led the Journal to publishing only in English beginning in October 1918 and then folding altogether in December 1918.
Origins: 1859–1899
Founding and early years
from Michaelbach, Baden, and John Motz from , near Mühlhausen, founded the Berliner Journal in Berlin, Canada West, in 1859. German publications were in high demand, with Germans then the third-largest immigrant group in Canada after the English and French. As a weekly newspaper, the Journal began as one of several German-language newspapers in Canada West. By 1867, there were 18 German-language newspapers in Southwestern Ontario, and in any year between 1859 and 1908, Waterloo County usually had four German newspapers, and always between three and five.
Soon after his arrival in Berlin in 1848, Rittinger worked in the mechanical department of Der Deutsche Canadier – a well-established German-language newspaper – being responsible for printing copies of the newspaper. When he and Motz decided they wanted to get into the newspaper business in 1859, they initially tried to negotiate for the purchase of the . After the owner refused to sell, Rittinger – who was now head of the mechanical department – left to found the Journal with Motz. Upon its founding, the Journal became involved in a bitter feud with the , with the mocking the Journal, suggesting it would not make it beyond one issue. Feuds between rival newspapers were common in nineteenth century Ontario, especially between direct competitors like the Journal and .
The first issue of the Journal ran on 29 December 1859 and included four-pages on 26 × 20 inch paper. Rittinger acquired German types from Joseph Unzicker of nearby Hamilton by providing a promissory note against Unzicker's recently failed newspaper. The first issue was typeset at Rittinger's home in downtown Berlin using a handpress provided by the Berlin Chronicle, a local English newspaper. They delivered 600 copies of the first issue to both paying and prospective subscribers. For subsequent issues, the Chronicle provided the Journal with work space at their office. In the absence of copyright laws, the paper's content included columns reprinted verbatim from German sources – especially the German-American dailies and – as well as material translated from the English-Canadian press. Motz and Rittinger edited the translated pieces, removing content they thought sensationalist and which "the average German could only poorly digest". The paper was printed by hand and – with neither postal nor railway service yet available – delivered on horseback. Subscribers scattered across the countryside required the horse rider to swim across both the Grand and Conestogo Rivers. By 1863, the paper's circulation was around 1,000. The found it increasingly difficult to compete with the Journal and folded in January 1865. Following the closure, an article published in the Journal mocked its former competitor, framed as an obituary recounting a person's slow decline in health.