This book examines the status of the press and the criticism surrounding it. Chapter 1 attempts to relate theories of criticism to the contemporary press, to define the public interest relative to the press, and to discuss the role of criticism and the social responsibility of the press. Chapter 2 presents a brief history of press criticism from its British origins to the present. Chapter 3 surveys various forms of press criticism and focuses primarily on experiments and applications in criticism and self-criticism. Chapter 4 is devoted to the consideration of reactions to proposals for a national press council and to the function and purposes of the several forms of national councils. In chapter 5 , the reasons for necessitating press criticism are summarized and possible future developments are suggested. The appendixes include: codes of ethics, reports for a national press council, press council operating rules, a discussion of critical attitudes toward the media, two surveys on the image of the newspaper, and a consideration of newspapers' use of internal criticism. (LL)