THE THIRTEEN STEPS

What should be done to make the nation's press better? The Commission on Freedom of the Press (see above) charted 13 steps toward "freeing the press from the influences which now prevent it from supplying ... the service which the country requires." Its recommendations:

What the Government can do:

1. Include radio and motion pictures in the constitutional guarantees of press freedom.

2. Encourage new press ventures, new techniques, maintain competition through the antitrust laws, but use those laws sparingly to break up big units; and see to it that "necessary" monopolies operate in the public interest.

3. Amend the libel laws so that an injured party can get a retraction or a restatement of the facts, or an opportunity to reply.

4. Repeal the laws that forbid "expressions in favor of revolutionary changes in our institutions, where there is no clear and present danger that violence will result from the expressions."

5. Use press techniques (radio, etc.) itself to inform the U.S. public--and the world--about its policies and purposes, when private agencies are "unable or unwilling" to do it for the Government.

What the press can do: 6. "We recommend that the agencies of mass communication accept the responsibilities of common carriers of information and discussion."

7. Take the responsibility of financing new experimental activities.

8. ". . . engage in vigorous mutual criticism."

9. ". . . use every means ... to increase the competence, independence and effectiveness of its staff."

10. "We recommend that the radio industry take control of its programs and that it treat advertising as it is treated by the best newspapers."

What the public can do:

11. "We recommend that nonprofit institutions help supply the variety, quantity, and quality of press service required by the American people."

12. Create academic-professional centers of advanced study, research and publication. Schools of journalism should "exploit the total resources of their universities [so] that their students may obtain the broadest and most liberal training."

13. A new and independent agency should be set up "to appraise and report annually upon the performance of the press."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.