Noting that seldom in American history has a president had the potential opportunity to appoint a majority to the Supreme Court as does Ronald Reagan and that scholars and columnists claim that First Amendment freedoms of the press have been eroding with little public notice over the past few years, this paper explores the prognosis for press…

In press law, the individual right of freedom of the press frequently is linked to a public interest or "watchdog" concept of freedom of the press. This concept suggests that the basis for the constitutional protection of press freedom is the role of the press as an institution serving a collective good, as opposed to the traditional…

This fastback examines Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier (1988), the first high school student press case ever to reach the United States Supreme Court. The pamphlet reviews the background and implications of the Hazelwood decision and speculates as to how it will be applied to student expression in the public high schools. Chapters include:…

Forty-seven high school newspaper advisers from Utah completed a questionnaire to determine their knowledge of First Amendment rights of student journalists, and to determine what variables may affect their publication decisions. Eight composite cases were developed from relevant First Amendment court decisions. Respondents were asked if they…

The social responsibility theory of the press is usually considered to be a twentieth century development. According to this theory, one of the five major missions of mass communications is to raise social conflict from the plane of violence to the place of discussion. To achieve this, the media should serve as a forum for the exchange of comment…

Censorship efforts are taking place throughout the country in spite of greater activism among anticensorship forces. One of the alarming trends is that many of the censors are now attacking the curriculum of the schools, challenging textbooks in reading, literature, history, science, health, and social studies. The International Reading…

This examination of the issue of intellectual freedom in academic libraries provides examples of recent controversies, and argues that the library's response to such controversies provides an opportunity to emphasize its educational role. It is noted that academic libraries are full of controversial materials, and that this is necessary if the…

Focusing on the issue of censorship, this book explores the causes, instances, and implications of censorship in the United States from 1950 to 1985. The book is divided into the following eight chapters: (1) "Montello, Wisconsin: A Case Study in Censorship"; (2) "A Survey of the Censorship Situation: Sources, Objections, Increases…

The character and mission of Catholic institutions of higher education are discussed in nine articles. Questions that are posed include: what issues of the Catholic tradition need to be further examined; what additional reading of the Vatican II texts are appropriate; how is one to understand the American context within which the Catolic mission…

The following papers were presented at this meeting: (1) "The Moral Import of the Concept of Education" (Robert D. Heslep) Response: J. Gordon Chamberlin; (2) "Religion and Public Education: Formulating a Rational Legacy" (William F. Losito) Response: James W. Garrison; (3) "Using Scientific Logic To Reconcile Theism and Secular Humanism as…

Because of judicial indifference and legislative inaction, the conflict between the right of privacy and the freedom of the press is no closer to a resolution than it was a century ago. William Prosser's reduction of the common law of privacy into four separate torts has not solved the problem. The concept of "newsworthiness" has not been helpful…

Nine years after the 1972 Supreme Court ruling in *Branzburg v. Hayes" that journalists enjoy no constitutional privilege to withhold the names of sources and to conceal information from grand jury proceedings, a study was conducted to determine the courts' attitudes toward journalists' privilege and to test commonly held beliefs about its…

Pragmatic and philosophical cases against codes of ethics for journalists and other mass media practitioners are proposed in this paper. After an examination of the First Amendment considerations related to media ethics, a distinction is made between moral philosophy and moralizing, and it is argued that most media codes tend to be moralistic in…

Since opposition to media coverage of local government can be powerful, a reporter covering municipal and county affairs in Iowa should be familiar with access to information laws. Chapter 28A of the Iowa Code provides that "reasonable" public notice precede all governing board meetings and specifies that the time, date, place, and…

Intended to provide practical suggestions for reporters and editors, this manual presents the basic law of libel and invasion of privacy in the United States. Following an introduction noting that these are general principles of law and do not fully represent the laws of each state, the guide discusses various aspects of libel law: (1) definitions…