Unesco's proposal to license journalists would entail setting certain criteria for all reporters to follow in their foreign and domestic stories, in return for which, licensed journalists would be protected from government harassment or harm. The proposal, which greatly disturbs journalists from Western nations, is an effort by Third World…

Canon 35 of the American Bar Association's Canons of Judicial Ethics is an advisory ban on cameras and news equipment in courtrooms. In 1978, the Louisiana Supreme Court authorized a one-year pilot project on electronic coverage of court proceedings. The authorization set forth certain technical requirements concerning the nature and placement of…

Examining interpretive approaches to the First Amendment free speech and press clause, this paper focuses on the conceptual framework proposed by John Hart Ely. Other First Amendment tests examined include clear and present danger, balancing, the absolute test, and A. Meiklejohn's "absolute" test. Following an analysis of Ely's First…

The career of James Franklin, Benjamin Franklin's older brother, provides a case study in the use of polemics for a free press. A printer who actively courted controversy, Franklin found it necessary to use an unusual variety of strategies and justifications to evade or overcome potential legal, religious, and economic restraints. He demonstrated…

The effectiveness of Section 315 of the Communications Act of 1934 and its 1959 amendments, which allows "equal broadcast time" to opposing political candidates, is assessed in terms of insuring the public's right to know and of the broadcasters' claim to First Amendment protection. Questions regarding the regulation's structure and…

While the concept of "objective" reporting in the United States has been under attack from critics who demanded more interpretation from the press, a move in the opposite direction seems to be taking place in the Soviet Union, as the concept of journalist as strictly an advocate for the Communist party seems to be giving way to the…

FOR 8 WEEKS IN THE SUMMER OF 1964, MORE THAN 2,000 NEGRO YOUNGSTERS, AVERAGING 15 YEARS OF AGE BUT RANGING FROM 6 TO 26 AND OLDER, WENT TO FREEDOM SCHOOLS IN MISSISSIPPI. THE STUDENTS WERE TAUGHT BY TEACHERS WHO MET NO OFFICIAL QUALIFICATIONS. THEY ASSEMBLED IN CHURCH BASEMENTS OR ON THE STREETS. THEY CAME AND WENT WITHOUT ATTENDANCE RECORDS,…

During a time of crisis, it is instructive to examine the national press of Japan and Korea, two economic allies that view each other with suspicion. The Japanese press is relatively free and liberal-oriented on the domestic scene but is closely aligned with big business and government with regard to international concerns. The South Korean…

This is one of several papers presented at a Federal Trade Commission Symposium on Media Concentration. It describes the state of book publishing today and comments on antimerger statements made by the Authors Guild of America. Statistics are cited to show that the number of active book publishers serving national and international markets is…

The 75 books and articles listed in this bibliography are divided into six categories: "Freedom and Censorship,""Histories of Censorship,""General Comments on Censorship,""Teaching and Censorship,""Sex and Censorship," and "A Brief and Basic Booklist for Readers Who Hate Long Bibliographies." The publication dates of the entries range from 1913…

Unreserved public discussion of state government-university relations could result in straining and weakening the very elements the discussion was intended to strengthen. Subtle personal contacts, the essence of this relationship, are undefinable and differ in every instance even though they are the true means by which the balance of authority,…

Much of the outcome of the students' desire to direct their lives on and off campus, to shape university policy, and to involve themselves in controversial public issues will depend on the insight of faculties and administrations. Responding to the pressing issue of University principles and practices in regulating student misconduct, Cornell…

This report examines the rationale for opening deliberative processes to the public and discusses, specifically, the Michigan open-meetings law. The following topics are addressed: the definition of public business; the components of a free press; the relationship between open meetings, community expertise, and civic consciousness; and protection…

This report details the proceedings of the second annual conference of the National Coalition Against Censorship, which was held in New York City on 16 February 1977. Among the events covered is a panel discussion of possible limitations on free speech, conducted by four experts in the field of communicatons (Peggy Charren, president of Action for…