Laying Low the Shibboleth of a Free Press

Abstract

As American newspapers came under various forms of financial strain in the 1940s, arguably the most significant threat facing the industry during this period was an onslaught of media criticism in conjunction with a series of attempted state interventions. This paper fleshes out recurring themes of 1940s media criticism and shows how they coincided with moves toward regulating the press, which had begun in the late 1930s. Using historical methods, including close readings of newspaper, trade press, and activist literature and other materials that shed light on debates around press reform, this critical revisionist history brings into focus a formative period in the American press system's development. The history that emerges from this archival evidence does not simply bring previously under-researched areas into focus; it also questions the presumed natural laissez-faire arrangement between the American government and the press*an assumption that largely remains intact to this day. KeywordsAmerican journalism, journalism history, media policy, media reform, newspaper industry, political economy

Making sense of the newspaper crisis: A critical assessment of existing research and an agenda for future work

“…In this view, newspaper organizations should reduce costs to deal with the crisis. Another proposed set of solutions to the crisis is to develop new, alternative business models that depart from traditional models that are grounded almost exclusively on advertising revenues (Giles, 2010; Kaye and Quinn, 2010; Picard, 2006b; Pickard et al, 2009). These new models, authors suggest, need to fully take into consideration the changes in both the news production and consumption landscapes triggered by the Internet.…”

“…The pertinence of state intervention has been the subject of heated debate, particularly in the United States (Calvert, 2009; Pickard, 2011). Pickard et al (2009) posit both short-term reforms (such as new ownership structures and jobs programs in journalism) and long-term models (such as public media and federally funded initiatives) as potential solutions supported by the state. McChesney and Nichols (2010) argue that, in keeping with the crucial role it played in the creation of the free press, the United States government could help journalism make the transition to a post-corporate digital era by raising funds from certain taxes.…”

“…Finally, authors have deployed a discourse of ‘salvation’ to discuss the solutions to the newspaper crisis (Bollinger, 2010; Mersey, 2010; Pickard et al, 2009). For Meyer, ‘there still exists the capacity to salvage a transformed, sustainable, socially useful news business’ (2009: 3, emphasis added).…”