This paper seeks to establish a philosophical foundation and a conceptual framework for a belief in the right to free information access. According to an overview of the professional literature, and to the moral philosophy of Immanuel Kant as operationalized in the theories of John Rawls, information can be seen as a primary good and as a…

The Media and Law section of this collection of conference presentations contains the following 12 papers: "An Analysis of the Role of Insurance, Prepublication Review and Correction Policies in Threatened and Actual Libel Suits" (Elizabeth K. Hansen and Roy L. Moore); "Private Defamation Plaintiffs and Falsity since 'Philadelphia…

Recently, some critics have argued that the academy has become infected by a new brand of censorship which threatens the openness central to a university's purposes. Dinesh D'Souza has argued that this censorship is a manifestation of influence enjoyed by leftist radical professors and students. D'Souza is correct that the First Amendment is being…

To identify reasons for peer evaluation of college teaching being more honored in rhetoric than in practice, events that occurred on the campus of a prominent public research university are described and suggestions offered as to why peer evaluation is not often practiced. A Committee on Teaching Effectiveness was appointed in response to…

Designed for language arts teachers, the fact sheet is arranged into four short parts. Part 1 provides a brief statement by the National Council of Teachers of English regarding its position on censorship. Part 2 briefly describes the distinction between censorship and professional guidelines. Part 3 gives five examples of censorship and five…

In 1979, "The Washington Post" brought suit against the State Department to compel the release of certain passport information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The State Department had refused release under the "similar files" clause of the Act's Exemption 6, stating that release would be an invasion of privacy. In…

A review of federal court decisions in the area of cable television and First Amendment rights reveals an early, unified perception of cable's First Amendment status that has given way in the past decade to fragmented and often contradictory positions among lower level courts. This makes the problem before the courts today one of choosing from, or…

The constitutionality of punitive damage awards in media defamation litigation was examined through a review of federal and state libel case law since the 1964 Supreme Court decision in "New York Times v. Sullivan." Using the opinions of various courts and justices and studies of libel litigation, a number of areas bearing on the issue…

Contains the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) Revision of Regulation 4 of "Recommended Institutional Regulations on Academic Freedom and Tenure," originally published in 1968 based on the 1940 "Statement of Principles." This October 1975 revision follows the earlier revision published in November 1974. (JT)

In Gay Students Organization v. Bonner the GSO sought judgment on the constitutionality of the University of New Hampshire's ban on its dances. The court afforded the dances First Amendment protection as a right attaching to University recognition of the GSO. This note proposes a first amendment analysis focusing on the dance as communicative…

For the public to understand academic freedom they need to understand the objectives of social studies programs, the need for free inquiry in the classroom, and the value of this inquiry to a free society. (DE)

Four court cases which expanded freedom of expression in public schools and suggestions for reducing the gap between law and practice in the schools are provided in order to stimulate teachers to shoulder their responsibilities in upholding the principles of the Bill of Rights. (Author/DE)

Presents the AAUP's unresolved cases involving departures from the standards of the association. Institutions included are: Biscayne, Campbell, Dillard, Missouri Western, Monmouth, and Quincy Colleges, State Community College of East St. Louis, and Michigan Technological University. (PG)

For English educators, the censorship issue is more than reactively attending to censors; it is really an issue of what a member of the profession does, where responsibilities lie. English educators must struggle to provide literary experience, aesthetic language experience, and promote writing as dialogue in a social context. Limiting and…

This report updates a 1979 article from the Wisconsin Library Bulletin about censorship in Wisconsin from 1966 through 1975. Compiled using data from the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom (OIF), the report provides information about censorship attempts and actions between 1976 and 1980. From 1966 through 1975, 49 cases…