The thesis of this book is that the news media use bias, distortion, and censorship to manipulate public opinion and preserve the "status quo." It is composed of numerous illustrations of "failures" on the part of the mass media to present an accurate and complete picture of reality and to present minority or unpopular viewpoints. (SH)

Presents an annotated bibliography of 19 items from ERIC identifying troublesome paradoxes regarding the media and freedom of expression. Items are categorized by issues identified as relevant to radio and television, commercial advertising, and the press. (JMF)

A descriptive study based on Egyptian law, printed sources, and interviews clarifies our picture of the Egyptian Press by examining its status as a constitutionally mandated "Fourth Estate." The constitutional amendment, the resultant Egyptian Press Law, and the "Law Of Shame" (all passed in 1980), are designed to create a…

Examines the media's response to Utah Congressional Representative Allan T. Howe's arrest for the misdemeanor charge of soliciting. (KS)

Notes that, when in 1956-58, the government of Taiwan relaxed its press controls, it experienced results similar to those on mainland China. (FL)

Article evaluated the merits and faults of the news media and attempted to illustrate the ominously growing conflict between American society and its communication media. (Author/RK)

Since, in most cases, sequestration is no longer an option for judges to insure an impartial jury, judicial restraints or suppression orders directed at trial participants have become increasingly attractive. The problem is that the press has a desire to disseminate information about the judicial process to the public. Silence orders prohibiting…

Although libel has remained the major legal problem of the press for 40 years, little empirical research has been conducted concerning its impact. Various methods for conducting this type of needed research include traditional legal research, surveys of practitioners, and surveys of persons outside the media who are directly affected by mass…

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…

Discusses a 1973 decision by the Tokyo High Court, finding that a reporter acted illegally in obtaining secret government documents, and reports on a survey of attitudes toward the "right to know" held by Japanese newsmen and government officials. (GW)

The purpose of this paper is: (1) to present and analyze the most important laws, along with the most prominent court cases, that affected free expression and the press in post-junta Greece (1974-1977), and (2) to describe the media system of Greece for the same period in order to offer a better perspective on the Greek press in those crucial…

This report traces the development of the Egyptian press, from its origin with the arrival of the first printing press in 1789 to the present free press policies of Anwar Sadat. Because political struggle and social reform have accompanied the educational and cultural progress of Egypt, the news publications have traditionally been utilitarian.…

The press and public should have access to pretrial discovery documents in civil litigation when matters of public concern are at issue. Recently, the Supreme Court expanded the public's First Amendment right of access to criminal proceedings, and based on that, some lower courts have granted access to civil trials. In its decisions establishing…

The Basic Law of Press Freedom in West Germany that forbids censorship in any form is the subject of this booklet. The first section defines freedom of opinion as a basic right and presents the relationship of the press to the state. The role and structure of radio and television are described in the second section, which stresses the independence…

A Study investigated the informal methods of governmental information control used in four countries--the United States, Great Britain, West Germany, and the Soviet Union--to determine how the governments discretely and quietly limited unfavorable publicity. The examination revealed seven possible control methods: (1) preemptive leaks, (2)…