The Scopes Trial was one of the most controversial, widely reported, and well-researched court cases of the twentieth century. However, historians and other researchers have largely ignored the African American community's reaction and response to the trial, leaving out valuable perspectives on this historic event. In this article, the author…

These days, processes of corruption in colleges and universities are vividly reflected in the mass consciousness. In spite of numerous reports about these processes in the mass media, however, there are no exact data about the prevalence of bribery in higher education. Just what phenomena of bribery exist in higher education, and to what extent?…

The liberal bias of the "St. Louis Post-Dispatch" has been well-documented, but memoranda between editor-publisher Joseph Pulitzer II and two of his key editors, Julius Klyman and Irving Dilliard, reveal a tug-of-war over the newspaper's liberal treatment of communism from 1940 to 1955. Klyman, editor of the "Pictures"…

This paper examines recent court decisions that indicate the extent of constitutional protection extended to opinionated statements made during broadcast commentaries. A brief overview of both the common law and constitutional privileges protecting the expression of opinion is also included in the paper. Specifically, the paper evaluates the…

In 1960 a teenage boy, Bill Murray, refused to participate in Bible reading, and the result was a series of court cases that culminated in the 1963 United States Supreme Court decision banning compulsory prayer in public schools. To gain insight into the dynamics of journalism practiced during controversy, a case study attempts to examine the…

Exclusion of the press from the first days of the American invasion of Grenada dramatically brought into focus the fundamental conflict between the military's need for secrecy and the press's need to publish information. From the viewpoint of the press, the decision to exclude reporters from the island until the third day of the invasion denied…

A study analyzed U.S. Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell's court opinions on First Amendment issues that affect the daily work of journalists. The results showed that he preferred compromises, guidelines, and tests to either/or solutions. Because Powell sought to balance all interests, he developed no firm theoretical position on the First…

Media in democratic societies are generally assumed to have a responsibility to provide a forum for the articulation of diverse ideas, including radical discourse. Research on media coverage of groups which challenge the status quo, however, shows the limitations of the media in the democratic exchange of ideas. To evaluate the coverage of one of…

Using questionnaires returned by 18 Indian and 11 Inuit publications representing 9 provinces and 2 territories, the article assesses the position of the Native press in Canada. Considers circulation; format; staff size; tenure, training, and race of editors; financial status; editorial philosophy; problems; and the future. (NEC)

Examines the impartiality of Thomas Fleet, Sr.'s "Boston Evening Post" during the years leading up to the Revolutionary War, a period during which patriots put pressure on newspapers take their side. Reviews data illustrating the paper's even-handed dealing with issues concerning Patriots and Loyalists. (TB)

Compares criticisms of education from popular magazines of 1957 with contemporary criticisms, looking at education in the United States, Canada, and England. Findings show that some issues have remained important, and others have changed. The comparison does show that people continue to care about education and that the search for better education…

Although the First Amendment guarantees the rights of freedom of speech and press, these rights are not absolute. With freedom comes the knowledge that irresponsible action can lead to the regulation of that freedom by others. The courts must balance conflicting rights in cases, such as press coverage of criminal trials, where irresponsible…

Following issuance of an administrative policy statement detailing procedures for establishing long-term institutional relationships, the National Institute of Education (NIE) formally requested the Appalachia Educational Laboratory (AEL) to conduct a regionwide assessment of educational needs. Four major events are associated with the…

C-SPAN videotapes provide an innovative database that promises to be a significant benefit to researchers of public figures and issues by allowing researchers to analyze public figures in their own words, without journalistic interpretation. Such analysis was applied to Ross Perot's 1992 campaign in addressing his perceived insensitivity to…

Articles on American higher education that appeared in 1975 and 1976 in "The Times Higher Education Supplement" (London) are analyzed in connection with two statements about American society and its economy. These statements are Joseph A. Schumpeter's 1939 analysis of business cycles, and James B. Shuman's and Davis Rosenau's 1972…