Freedom of the Press

Ralph E. McCoy’s Freedom of the Press: An Annotated Bibliography covered some four hundred years of press freedom in the English-speaking world and was hailed by a reviewer as "the most useful annotated bibliography ever produced on the topics of freedom and censorship in mass communication."

This second supplement, covering the years from 1978 to 1992, contains more than 3,900 entries and follows the pattern and scope of both the original bibliography and the first supplement, which covered the years from 1967 to 1977. An annotated bibliography of books, pamphlets, journal articles, dissertations, films, and other materials relating to freedom of the press in the English-speaking world, the bibliography defines the word press generically to include all media of mass communications: books, newspapers, and other printed matter, but also motion pictures, recordings, radio and television broadcasts, and to a limited extent, stage plays.

Annotations in this supplement are descriptive rather than critical, and both positive and negative statements on press freedom are included. Whenever possible the author’s own words have been used to summarize the work or to express salient points of view. Articles on the nature and effect of pornography that do not deal directly with press freedom but provide background information are included.

The present volume is more selective than the original and the first supplement, particularly in covering news events. One or two reports are often used to represent a much larger number of articles available, thereby eliminating much duplication. The format of this volume, however, follows that of the earlier volumes: it is arranged alphabetically by personal or corporate author or by title where the author is unknown. To facilitate a subject approach to the work, a comprehensive subject index identifies topics, concepts, countries, individuals, court decisions, and titles of censored works.

Ralph E. McCoy is dean of university libraries, emeritus, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. He is also author of Open Court: A Centennial    Bibliography, 1887–1987.