Abstract
THE broadsheet on “The Press and the Public” which has recently been issued by PEP (Political and Economic Planning) is of special interest in view of the recent attacks made upon the freedom of the Press in Great Britain by certain foreign powers, and of the Prime Minister's spirited championship of the Press in his speech at the annual dinner of the Parliamentary Press Gallery. The present broadsheet is concerned with the social influences of the Press, and its admirable exposition of the intricacy of the relationship with the public, and of the functions, amounting essentially to the provision of a daily magazine, which a newspaper is expected by many of its readers to fulfil, shows clearly how unfair is much of the criticism of the Press for sensationalism and inaccuracy. In its presentation and selection of material the Press is largely limited by the educational standards of its readers, and the broadsheet suggests that for one important class of readers all four of the popular dailies represent an improvement in taste and information. Equally it is emphasized that large numbers of readers would apparently support a newspaper considerably more sensational, more scandalous and more irresponsible than anything which the scruples of journalists, advertisers and proprietors and the restraints of the law will allow to appear.
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Press and the Public. Nature 141, 678–679 (1938). https://doi.org/10.1038/141678b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/141678b0