Staggered by some recent libel verdicts, many journalists are neglecting lessons about press freedom learned at great cost during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Journalists then learned that state power over the press, residing in the hands of either censors or judges, leads to a decrease in press freedom. In 1986, though, many media…

To let newspaper researchers know the information sources used for various applications and the value of each of the sources, 122 Newspaper Research Council members were surveyed in February 1988 (with a 75% response rate). Questions concerned the frequency of use of various listed sources, and the value, location, and applications for each…

Findings from a 1971-72 North Carolina statewide survey focusing on the newspaper nonreader were compared with results from a similar statewide survey taken in 1961-62 in Wisconsin. Although there were limits to how precisely the two sets of data could be compared, the findings demonstrated that the type of person who chose not to read a newspaper…

A study of newspapers in three Louisiana cities suggests that whether a city's newspapers are owned jointly or by separate owners, little duplication occurs in newspaper appearance or content. (GW)

Examines criminal defendants' perceptions of the free press/fair trial issue with respect to perceived influences of media coverage on the disposition of criminal cases and the outcome of criminal trials. Concludes that the press' influence on trials is generally perceived as minimal and fair. (MM)

Describes the philosophy and practices of the newspapers published in the Pacific Islands. (RB)

While the typical pantheon of journalism history heroes is made up almost entirely of individuals who campaigned for more governmental regulation and increased social liberalism, there is also an opposing tradition in American journalism, one based on the premise that governmental cures are in most cases worse than the diseases they are designed…

Holding enormous if controversial power as Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), J. Edgar Hoover was sometimes controlled unexpectedly at the highest reaches of government, as illustrated by his failed attempt to obtain an Espionage Act indictment against the black press during World War II. Following anarchist bombings in 1919,…

To begin to pinpoint the forces at work in prize journalism, a study examined the value that managing editors of daily newspapers place on awards. Whether editors agree with their papers' awards policies and what they feel most affects reporters' attitudes about contests were also explored. In October 1984, questionnaires were mailed to 317…

Addressing issues of the provincial journalist's role in developing countries, a study interviewed 54 journalists throughout the Philippines during the height of the Philippine Revolution. In unstructured interviews, journalists were asked about their own views on what the role of the press in national development should be, as well as questions…

Focusing on economic and business issues that affect the press and on topics related to the coverage of business and economic news, this booklet begins with two articles by Robert Burdick about understanding opinions of newspaper managing editors and media coverage of the Manville Corporation's bankruptcy petition. The third article, by Mark…