UNITED STATES

CATHOLIC

CONFERENCE

February 14, 1973



Statement

FREEDOM

OF

INFORMATION

Communication Committee

United States Catholic Conference

February 14, 1973

F
reedom of the media of news and infor-

mation is one of the most cherished

principles of the American constitutional

system.

Today, this freedom seems to be the

arena in which ever louder battles are being

fought. There are continued exchanges be-

tween public authorities and media spokes-

men, resulting in breakdowns in the rela-

tionship between government and the

media industry. Government is accused of

efforts at inordinate restraint. The media

are accused of prejudiced editorializing.

Court rulings are said to inhibit journalists'

rights of confidentiality in dealing with

news sources. Reporters are blamed for in-

terfering with the judicial process. There

are charges of undue influence in broad-

cast news and public-affairs programming

that result, on one hand, from government

interference and, on the other, from media

bias.

We are concerned, besides, about grow-
ing public apathy wit|i regard to the issue

of freedom of information and the con-

sequent danger that'the media may become

alienated from the public.



It is a time for all in positions of public

responsibility to reinforce public awareness

and appreciation of the meaning and im-

portance of the First Amendment and of

the significance of the Constitution's free-

press guarantee.

It is also time for the media community

to take positive steps to assure the public

of its continued commitment to free flow

of truthful and objective information.

We do not imagine that in these brief
remarks we will be able to resolve specific

current controversies regarding the extent

of this freedom. Our intention instead is to

recall certain principles which may con-

tribute to an effective national discussion

of these matters. We do so in the convic-
tion that unnecessary restriction of the free-

dom of the news media must always be as

much a cause of concern as abuses in the

exercise of this freedom.

It is true that freedom of the information

media is not absolute. It is meant to serve

the common good, and the common good
must therefore be the criterion by which

this freedom is evaluated in principle and

practice. But precisely because a free press,

exercising its freedom responsibility, is the

indispensable servant of a free people, it

is crucially important that the media of

news and information, and the men and

women who work in these media, not be
subjected to undue pressure from either

public or private sources.

The need for information and the role of

the media in supplying it were discussed at

length in the Pastoral Instruction on Com-

munications issued in June, 1971, by the

Vatican's Commission on Social Communi-

cations. What was said there is worth re-

calling in the context of debate over the



meaning and limits of press freedom in our

country. The "right to information" is es-

sential today both "for the individual and

for society in general/' the Pastoral In-

struction declared. (#33) "Modern man

cannot do without information that is full,

consistent, accurate and true. . . . Only in

this way can he assume a responsible and

active role in his community and be a part

of its economic, political, cultural and re-

ligious life." (#34) The right to information

is "not merely the prerogative of the indi-

vidual, it is essential to the public interest."

(#35)

That being so, it follows that the media

of news and information have a vital task.

The "free flow of information and opinion"

through the media is needed for citizens

to "play an active part in the community."

(#46) The news media must exercise their

freedom responsibly, with constant concern

for truth, fairness and objectivity, in light

of "those real and public needs upon

which the right to information is based."

(#47) But the other side of this coin re-

quires that the media have real opportunity

to perform their essential role of public

service.

The men and women of the news media

are of course fallible human beings. Fur-

thermore their profession requires them to

work under conditions which are often less

than ideal. This means that the media will

sometimes make errors of fact, judgment,

and emphasis. Recognizing that this is so,

newsmen must make every effort to "re-

main faithful to the truth." (#39) They

should not react either complacently or

defensively to legitimate criticism. They

have a serious obligation to correct their

mistakes and, in particular, to make certain

that all sides to disputed issues are repre-

sented fairly and given adequate attention

in their presentations.



It is our belief, however, that corrective

action, when required, is in general best

left to the news media themselves, work-

ing in concert, and to the free operation

of public opinion. Public authority does
!

indeed have a duty to intervene in extreme

circumstances in order to protect the com-

mon good. But premature or excessive in-

tervention from public sources, including

both the courts and the executive and legis-

lative branches of government, even though

well intended, can have the result of under-

mining legitimate freedom of the press;

even the threat of such intervention could

all too easily have a chilling effect on the

freedom of the media.

Public authorities must also play a posi-

tive role in insuring the free flow of infor-

mation by making information readily

available to the public through the news

media. This does not mean that public

officials must disclose everything they

know about every subject; in some cases

this might do more harm than good. But

it is equally true that public officials have

a duty to explain their policies and ac-

tions to the people and, in doing so, to

provide information which is "full, con-

sistent, accurate and true." Where deci-

sions must be made whether to disclose or

withhold information, the general pre-

sumption should be in favor of disclosure.

As both society and the media become

more complex and confront new problems,

difficult questions arise regarding practical

applications of the principle of freedom of

the press and the right of the public to in-

formation. It is understandable that sincere

and honorable men can disagree about

these questions. The effort to resolve such

disagreements should be carried out calmly

and equitably through the mutual efforts of

representatives of the media, the public

authorities, and the public itself. Undoubt-

PweMifea



edly the nation would benefit from the

creation of new channels and forums for

collaborative discussion of these matters.

We therefore urge the media industry to
initiate prompt action leading to the devel-

opment of whatever voluntary programs of

self-regulation and enforcement of media

responsibility may be necessary for the

common good. This cannot be the initia-

tive of the public. It should not be the

initiative of the government.

In the continuing dialogue on this vital

national issue, however, it is imperative that

all involved keep clearly in view the neces-

sity of protecting and fostering the fullest
j

possible degree of freedom for the media

of news and information. For the freedom

of the media is vital if the right to know

possessed by free citizens of a free nation

is to be realized today and in the years to

come.

1973

Publications Office

UNITED STATES CATHOLIC CONFERENCE

1312 Massachusetts Avenue N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20005