Democracy and the Mass Media A Collection of Essays

In this volume a group of distinguished legal and political theorists and experts on journalism discuss how to reconcile our values concerning freedom of the press with the enormous power of the media - especially television - to shape opinions and values. The policy issues treated concern primarily the extent of justifiable government regulation of the media and the justification for regulating television differently from newspapers. The volume contains some highly original and groundbreaking analyses of philosophical issues surrounding the First Amendment of the US Bill of Rights. This is a book for anyone seriously interested in the rights to free speech and expression in technologically advanced societies.

Notes on contributors; Introduction Judith Lichtenberg; 1. Liberal constraints on private power?: reflections on the origins and rationale of access regulation Stephen Holmes; 2. Liberalism and free speech David Kelly and Roger Donway; 3. Foundations and limits of freedom of the press Judith Lichtenberg; 4. Why the State? Owen Fiss; 5. Practices of toleration Onora O'Neill; 6. Access in a post-social responsibility age Carl Sessions Stepp; 7. Who decides? Fredrick Schauer; 8. Four criticisms of press ethics Jeffrey B. Abramson; 9. Political communication systems and democratic values Michael Gurevitch and Jay Blumler; 10. Mass communications policy: where we are and where we should be going Henry Geller; 11. Content regulation reconsidered Thomas M. Scanlon, Jr.; 12. The rationale of public regulation of the media Lee Bollinger; 13. The role of a free press in strengthening democracy Sanford J. Ungar; Index.

A group of distinguished legal and political theorists and experts on journalism discuss how US policy issues treat government regulation of the media and how newspapers and television are regulated differently. This is a book for anyone seriously interested in the rights to free speech and expression in technologically advanced societies.