The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1963-01-08
". D. Workmon

freedom Of speech" is to mean
anything, it must be accom-
panied by freedom to hear, to
read. and to see. without gov
ernmental censorship.
Free peoples have always in
sisted on freedom Of speech. and
they have fought for that right
when it was denied.
just within recent days, the
entire government OF West Ger
many was revised because Of
reaction to what the public re-
garded as governmental in
fiingement of a German maya
zines right of free speech.
But here in the United
States, government infringement
is more subtle than the blunt
West German arrest Of the edi-
tors. Here, the censorship is di-
rected not 50 much at the pub
LEGATION as at the readers.
BY and large, the American
press is left free to print what
it will. The government simply
manages the release of of
fetal news SO that nothing is
released except what the adj
ministration feels is in the pub
lie interest.
No responsible newspaper has
any intention of disclosing infor
nation which might jeopardize
the national security.
But no self-respecting paper is
content to sit idly by in t h {
wings and allow its readers to
be denied legitimate new,
through SO transparent a de
vice as the management" Of
information.
This is a fight not only of the
press, but also of The public.
And there is another fight tt
be made for freedom of speech
this one involving televisior
and radio.
All too frequently in the past
the press has remained aloot
while the government has pill
loried or pressured the broad
casting industry. Sometimes the
aloofness was accompanied BY
smugness on the part of news
paper interest which found 8
measure of satisfaction in t h {
tllbulations of rival media.
But freedom of speech is tor
vital an issue to the subdivided
If one medium of public infor
nation can be throttled, then i
is only a matter of time before
all media will likewise be sup
pressed or regulated to the poin
of ineffectiveness.
1t is one thing for an admin
stration spokesman to describ;
teleViSlon as "a vast Wasteland
and to complain Of insipid an;
inadequate progranming. Blu
it is something else again Whel
the resources Of the government
including the all-poWerful con
troll of licensing, are brought t,
| bear against private industry =
in order to bring about pro
! gramming acceptable to tn,
/ government.
IN the long haul, competition
under our free enterprise syS
tenn will solve most of the prob
lens Of programming or new
presentation, whether in publish
ing OF broadcasting What on
paper will not print, anotheI
will. Where one tells vision sta
/ ton or network falls short OF
performance, another will meas
| IRE up.
But it is not for the govern
ment TO inject itself into thi.
area of decision-making. T 1t
government is obligated to keeI
its citizens informed through The
timely and complete disclos
ure of all information which
does not involve military Sc
curity. And the government
should remember that it is, it
self, a creature of the public
and that the public is entitled
to know of its doings.
The jealousies and economic
l1vallies which sometimes di
vide The publishing and tn {
broadcasting industries SHOULD
not be allowed to weaken 6
common fight to preserve ane
protect freedom Of speech. This
is one Of those indivisibIe free