CENSORSHIP and the Media

"There are those who would be in favor of not allowing the media to be biased towards one candidate or another. Changing this would mean creating laws to govern amount or content of air time and this would be difficult in itself even if you didn't have to worry about infringing on the freedom of the press. " MD

"Limits need to be set on what the media is permitted to say or print." OH

"The government proved that it could not handle censorship without abuse when Woodrow Wilson's administration created and then abused government news management. Nor can the current system of media controlling itself continue. We must then look to the public, and a separate organization to make regulations that the media must follow." NY

(Editor's note: must? Without the force of government the regulations will be voluntary.)

". . . the media has too much freedom and the United States should do something about it before it gets really out of hand." SD

"I think that a general law should be passed to control the media." OH

"Actual limitations on the amount of political coverage is not necessary within the intrastructure of the media itself. The limitations can be obtained quite simply by turning off the television or by disregarding the newspaper or magazine, or by not purchasing any of these items. That in itself would send a firm message to this media monster. There is a consensus among the people to be informed, but not to be drowned in this sea of information." PA

"More legislation to approve presidential commercials before they are aired would be helpful in reducing clashing views and, in return, revealing the truth. We would like to know that what we are viewing comes from reliable sources and that true statements have already been separated from opinions. " MI

"I feel that the media should be restrained from stating their opinion for the simple reason that it makes it biased for one candidate. The press should only be able to verbalize fact and not opinion." OH

(Editor's note: What about editorials?)

"The media has established its own standards on what is acceptable. Personal opinions are printed without a second thought. The press seems to be trying to influence voters at every turn. The changes that need to be made may seem drastic, but the freedoms that the American press are allowed could be more harmful to candidates and the political process than helpful." OK

"(The media) shouldn't try to find every flaw they can. It makes people think everyone is crooked." PA

"Near v. Minnesota was the first case at the Supreme Court level that questioned the principle of permitting newspapers to print news as they saw it. A 1925 Minnesota law prohibited the publication of newspapers and magazines that included material that was 'malicious, scandalous and defamatory.' The Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 that this law was unconstitutional and was an essence of censorship. . .

In another case, New York Times v. United States, the Nixon administration tried to keep the New York Times from printing . . . the Pentagon Papers. The Supreme Court ruled 6 to 3 that restraint is unwarranted. . . These . . . two cases . . . established a precedent that firmly ruled against governmental censorship of the press." SD

"If there were some kind of laws, perhaps with stiff penalties, governing this matter, maybe potential stories would be forgotten instead of published." MI

"The media may not always voice our opinion, but to regulate free speech would only harm what we are trying to protect: society! Curtailing free speech in the media would impede the spread of knowledge which, in turn, would create an uninformed public. This would begin the destruction of our democracy." WI

"Perhaps the only way to regulate the problems of ambition, coverage and diversification would be to set up a national council that would regulate the media's role in the elections. Granted, the freedom of speech issue would be difficult to overcome. The council would have to use drastic steps to surmount the issue." IL

"I belive the only information the media should be allowed to tell anyone is that which the candidates give them." PA

"Today's press is very unrestricted, and I would like to put some limits on their powers, especially when dealing with people's private lives." OH

"If there was a limit to what can be said during political commercials, debates, and in newspapers, then there would be a lot less to be confused about." NY

"An uncensored press is an essential prerequisite for democracy" MD

"It would help matters if the government regulations were stricter about what the media was allowed to say." NY

"For those who demand that limits be placed on the media, a question should enter their minds: 'Who would place those limits?' Currently, those limits are set by the media. Who does one trust more, the media, or those in an office of abundant power? History tells us that madmen have grasped absolute power, and that governments with no watchdogs are disastrous for humanity." MO

"When the public has had enough time to weigh the media's effect on the 1992 presidential election, it will demand certain limits." MA

"Censorship in the broadcasting of television to me is an act that breaks the First Amendment's rights of free speech and freedom of the press." IN

"To enforce the regulations and monitor the procedures, a central, powerful union should be formed. This union would not 'regulate' as such, but it would be responsible for locating, investigating, and punishing those who commit slander or libel. This union would consist of experienced journalists, elected by their peers." PA