Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- List of contributors
- Introduction
- 1 Liberal constraints on private power?: reflections on the origins and rationale of access regulation
- 2 Liberalism and free speech
- 3 Foundations and limits of freedom of the press
- 4 Why the state?
- 5 Practices of toleration
- 6 Access in a post–social responsibility age
- 7 Who decides?
- 8 Four criticisms of press ethics
- 9 Political communication systems and democratic values
- 10 Mass communications policy: where we are and where we should be going
- 11 Content regulation reconsidered
- 12 The rationale of public regulation of the media
- 13 The role of a free press in strengthening democracy
- Index
10 - Mass communications policy: where we are and where we should be going
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- List of contributors
- Introduction
- 1 Liberal constraints on private power?: reflections on the origins and rationale of access regulation
- 2 Liberalism and free speech
- 3 Foundations and limits of freedom of the press
- 4 Why the state?
- 5 Practices of toleration
- 6 Access in a post–social responsibility age
- 7 Who decides?
- 8 Four criticisms of press ethics
- 9 Political communication systems and democratic values
- 10 Mass communications policy: where we are and where we should be going
- 11 Content regulation reconsidered
- 12 The rationale of public regulation of the media
- 13 The role of a free press in strengthening democracy
- Index
Summary
INTRODUCTION
This essay discusses the current state of government policy concerning mass communications, with particular reference to news and public affairs: Does the policy promote democratic values or work against them, and, if the latter, what would constitute a different, better policy?
There are two initial caveats. First, it will be necessary to oversimplify in light of the enormous scope of the topic. And second, I shall oversimplify with respect to the definition of the key goal here: promotion of democratic values. I recognize that there can be heated argument concerning the term “democratic values.” I intend to finesse this important area by focusing on a “motherhood” approach. We can all agree that, in the words of Learned Hand and Hugo Black, the United States has committed itself to a marketplace of ideas – to robust, wide-open debate; that, although others may regard this as folly, we have staked our all on this approach. A democracy – in our case, a republic depending on representative government – critically depends on an informed electorate and, therefore, on a free and unfettered press bringing to it all worthwhile ideas and views.
A further corollary of this First Amendment goal of robust, wide-open debate is that the American people should receive information from as diverse and antagonistic sources as possible (the so-called Associated Press principle set out in Associated Press v. United States).
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Democracy and the Mass MediaA Collection of Essays, pp. 290 - 330Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1990
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