The Press And The Presidency: Exploring Bill Clinton

The 1947 report of the Commission on Freedom of the Press provides one of the most influential modern accounts of the goals of the American press. The 133-page report was written by University of Chicago president Robert Maynard Hutchins and a dozen other well-known intellectuals of the day and was published shortly after World War II. A Free and Responsible Press identifies five responsibilities which, if fulfilled, could serve as a measurement of press performance. (Bates)

First, the Hutchins Commission established that the press should provide a “truthful, comprehensive, and intelligent account of the day’s events in a context which gives them meaning;” a commitment to provide these accounts means that a reporter’s work has to be objective and unbiased. (Baker pg. 154)

Second, the press was to be “a forum for the exchange of comment and criticism,” which implies that newspapers should carry information conducive to public discussion. The views expressed in papers should not only be unbiased, but contrary to the personal views of those writing them to ensure that the public receives the most pertinent information. (Baker pg. 154)

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