Sentinel Under Siege: The Triumphs And Troubles Of America's Free PressIf the unexamined life is not worth living, surely the unexamined media is not worth heeding. Sentinel Under Siege traces the evolution of the media in the United States and its capacity to examine and regulate itself, from its earliest colonial roots to the modern explosion of digital technology.Once the Bill of Rights was enacted in 1791, the press became the first and only enterprise explicitly protected by the United States Constitution. This book is concerned with the legal content given to freedom of the press by the Supreme Court, and the fitful attempts of media criticism—both intramural and external—to build a greater sense of responsibility among the practitioners.Stanley Flink, former correspondent of Life Magazine and writer/producer at NBC and CBS, is concerned less with the people's right to know than with the people's need to know. Only a competent, responsible press—whatever its means of distribution—can perform the role of watchdog over official abuse of power, business corruption, and political distortions. But the acquisition of so many newspapers, magazines, and broadcasting facilities by corporate conglomerates threatens a new kind of prior restraint on an independent press—the conflicts of interest; the power of advertising; the unspoken self-censorship of reporters and editors, print or electronic, based on the perceived predilections of their employers; and the financial interests of related companies.Flink believes that responsible journalism can also be economically viable in the twenty-first century because the mass communication of reliable news reporting and media accountability will be vital to the democratic process. Unless the news media persistently seeks the high moral ground of public service, the first casualty will be an informed electorate. The second may well be constitutional protection. |
From inside the book
Results 1-3 of 54
Page 65
... means by which the Times came into possession of the Papers and referred to " common law right of literary property " despite the fact that the govern- ment , as servant of the people , has no claim of copyright . As to the presi ...
... means by which the Times came into possession of the Papers and referred to " common law right of literary property " despite the fact that the govern- ment , as servant of the people , has no claim of copyright . As to the presi ...
Page 69
... mean that it could not one day , in a future case , convince the courts by using the Pentagon Papers opinions as ... means of conveyance may be proliferat- ing , but finding reliable contexts will be no easier . A nation besotted ...
... mean that it could not one day , in a future case , convince the courts by using the Pentagon Papers opinions as ... means of conveyance may be proliferat- ing , but finding reliable contexts will be no easier . A nation besotted ...
Page 232
... means . Finally , the people can vote . They can choose their representatives . They can participate in government - gov- erning themselves by obeying the laws made by their representatives and governing their representatives by voting ...
... means . Finally , the people can vote . They can choose their representatives . They can participate in government - gov- erning themselves by obeying the laws made by their representatives and governing their representatives by voting ...
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
In Search of a Role | 5 |
The Press and the Law | 18 |
Copyright | |
26 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Sentinel Under Siege: The Triumphs And Troubles Of America's Free Press Stanley E Flink Limited preview - 2018 |
Sentinel Under Siege: The Triumphs And Troubles Of America's Free Press Stanley E Flink No preview available - 1998 |
Common terms and phrases
abolitionist advertising Alabama Alexander Bickel Alexander Meiklejohn American became become believed Bickel Bill of Rights broadcasting called century Chicago circulation citizens Civil colonial Congress Constitution coverage criticism debate defend democracy Editor and Publisher Ellsberg ethical expression Fear federal Federalist Fourteenth Amendment free press free speech freedom H. L. Mencken Hearst Hutchins independent individual interest issues James Madison Jefferson Jim Crow journalism journalists Judge Justice Kalven lawyers libel liberty Lippmann magazines Meiklejohn ment moral Negro newspapers North Oxford University Press Pentagon Papers political politicians president printed prior restraint protection public officials public opinion racism readers regard reporting Republican responsible Sedition slavery slaves social society South southern standards story Sullivan Supreme Court television Thomas Thomas Jefferson tion truth United Vann Woodward Vietnam views vote Walter Lippmann Washington Whitelaw Reid William writing wrote Yale yellow journalism York