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Williams, S. M. ["Freedom of the Press"]. In Problems of Journalism; Proceedings of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, 1932. Washington, D.C., ASNE, 1932, pp. 59-62. W304
An account of an Aberdeen, S.D., contempt case.
Williams, T. Harry. "Civil War Papers Spilled Secrets." Quill, 32(1):5, 12, January-February 1944. W305
Newspapers operated during the Civil War under little or no restraint and sometimes revealed military secrets.
Williams, Walter. "International Free Press." Public, 20:1011-12, 19 October 1917. W306
The achievement of a permanent peace will depend largely upon an internationally free press.
Williams, Wythe. "The Sins of the Censor; an Open Letter to Americans." Collier's, 60(18):6-7, 12 January 1918. W307
The Paris correspondent of the New York Times asserts that "the American censorship which should be the fairest and best, is acutally the worst--and with less reason, for America has had time to find the perfect form of censorship if there is one." He urges that civilian control of censorship replace that imposed by the "West Point mind."
Williamson, Arleigh B. "Safeguarding Channels of Communications." Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 250:1-11, March 1947. W308 §
The arguments for safeguarding communication channels are: development of codes of social responsibility, improvement of standards of accuracy, enlargement of the group that can discriminate between opinion and fact, and "expansion of consciousness in the general public that welfare of the individual or the group is inseparable from the welfare of the whole."
Williamson, Geoffrey. Morality Fair; Vagaries of Social Conduct as Reflected in the Press. London, Watts, 1955. 260p. W309
A popular survey of "the ever-changing attitude of the public and the growing tendency of the Press to deal frankly with all the facts of life, pleasant and unpleasant." There are frequent references to obscenity, censors and censorship, the issue of birth control, and criminal libel. Chapter 10 deals with Exploitation [of sex] in Print, and chapter 11 with Some Ardent Reformers.
Williamson, George C. Lodowick Muggleton, A Paper Read before ye Sette of Odd Volumes, at ye 337th Meeting, January 27, 1915. London, Chiswick Press, 1919. 84p. (Sette of Odd Volumes no. 71) W310
Muggleton, in 1652, was imprisoned on a blasphemy charge for denying the Trinity.
Williamson, Hugh R. "Who Is for Liberty?" London, Michael Joseph, 1939. 291p. W311
The author denounces the conservative press of Great Britain, "owned as it is by a few irresponsible millionaires." Censorship of the press in the interests of the plutocracy, the writer claims, is unnecessary. "Those Left papers outside the millionaire-control and who do, on occasion, manage to defy even advertiser-control, are kept in their place by a Government which uninterruptedly exerts 'the power of the hint' and which keeps in reserve, and on occasion does not scruple to use a series of repressive measures." The measures referred to are contempt of court, libel, application of the Official Secrets Act, and employment of police raids.
Williamson, T. Raworth. "Validity of Court Order Banning Newspaper Photographers from Court House Area." Georgia Bar Journal, 23:406-8, February 1961. W312
The author defends the decision, Atlanta Newspapers Inc. v. Grimes, 216 Ga. 74, in the interest of the proper administration of justice.
Williford, Imogene. The Development of Radio Regulation; Its Historical, Economic and Legal Phases. Washington, D.C., American University, 1933. 114p. (Unpublished Master's thesis) W313
Willis, Delbert. "A Brass Curtain Fell in Texas." Quill, 39(7):18, 22-23, July 1951. (Also in Nieman Reports, July 1951) W314
The Fort Worth Press won after a six-day news blackout imposed by an Air Force general who didn't like the way the newspaper was edited.
Willis, Hugh E. "Freedom of Speech and the Press." Indiana Law Journal, 4:445-87, April 1929. W315
Relates to the application of restrictions on freedom of the press "in the public interest."
Wills, Elbert V. "Case of Doctor Cooper." South Atlantic Quarterly, 18:6-14, January 1919. W316
Wartime interest in the Espionage Act recalls the case of Dr. Thomas Cooper, the second trial under the Sedition Law of 1798. Cooper was brought to trial for libel of President Adams. He was found guilty and given 6 months in prison and a fine of $400. In 1840 the fine was repaid by Congress to Cooper's heirs.
[Wilson, Effingham]. On the Taxes on Knowledge. London, Robert Heward, 1831. 32p. (Reprinted from the Westminster Review, July 1, 1831) W317
A speech by Wilson declaring the newspaper stamp tax a "moral and political evil."
Wilson, Kenneth E. "The Great Secrecy Case." Nieman Reports, 8(2):3-6, April 1954. W318
The San Francisco press kept the story of the Leonard Moskovitz kidnapping a secret for 61 hours. Was it suppression or service?
Wilson, Lyle C. "A Government Press Agent Need Not Be a Barrier to News." Quill, 39(7):10-11, 22 July 1951. W319
It isn't the system but the man who makes information service good or bad.
Wilson, Quintus C. A Study and Evaluation of the Military Censorship in the Civil War. Minneapolis, University of Minnesota, 1945. 292p. (Unpublished Master's thesis) W320
The study begins with a background of the social and military conditions that made censorship necessary in the Civil War. The major body of the thesis consists of a detailed examination of records of the war to determine what censorship action was taken by military commands. Finally, the author appraises the effectiveness of censorship in relation to the war effort. Development of Civil War censorship, he notes, may be divided into three periods. First, the frantic, fumbling efforts to prevent information from reaching the enemy; second, a basic plan developed by army commanders but faulty in execution, and which was sometimes used to prevent release of information which would reflect discredit to a commander; and, third, a limited but effective censorship effort directed soley for purpose of military security.
-------. "Voluntary Press Censorship during the Civil War." Journalism Quarterly, 19:251-61, September 1942. W321
A forerunner of the censorship codes of later wars.
Wilson, Richard B. Freedom of Speech and Public Opinion. Berkeley, Calif, University of California, 1952. 193p. (Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation) W322
The study attempts to determine to what extent public intolerance of unpopular persons and groups operated as a limitation on freedom of speech. It also considers the seemingly contradictory objectives of controlling such intolerance and at the same time preserving the essential guarantees of the First Amendment. The author finds that: (1) Widespread public intolerance of specific doctrines and groups leads ultimately to the destruction of democratic government; (2) our judicial system is not now dealing adequately with those contributors to the growth of public intolerance who come under its surveillance; and (3) it is possible to strengthen rather than impair the freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment by developing judicial principles which will at least partially control these contributors. Chapter III deals with the problem of group defamation in the American law of libel. The author concludes that the "clear and present danger" interpretation of the First Amendment, which accepts unrestrained clashes between interest groups, is a mechanistic notion that is no more than a myth and is a dangerous concept in a pluralistic society. Instead, he poses an ethnocentric interpretation, which recognizes that "whenever intergroup hostility reaches a certain level of intensity . . . democratic institutions can no longer operate."
Wilson, Robert A. "The National Enquirer: 'All the News That's Unfit to Print.'" Fact, 1(4):19-23, July-August 1964. W323 §
"By catering to America's growing thirst for sadism, the National Enquirer has become the nation's best-selling weekly newspaper." The author obscerves that, while various organizations oppose the pornography of sex, "no group of Americans has banded together to combat sadism in literature."
Wilson, Robert R. "International Law and Proposed Freedom of Information." American Journal of International Law, 39:790-93, 1945. W324
A general discussion of proposals for world news freedom as they relate to the principles of international law. Includes the resolution adopted by representatives of 20 American republics at the Inter-American Conference on Problems of War and Peace, held in Mexico City in 1945.
Winant, John G., ed. "Right of All People to Know; A Symposium." Survey Graphic, 35:429-504+, December 1946. W325
Fifteen advocates of world freedom of information contribute to this symposium. They include: Morris L. Ernst, Senator James E. Murray, Frederic G. Melcher, James T. Shotwell, and Ferdinand Kuhn, Jr.
Winchell, Walter. "Blueprint for Disaster." Collier's, 123:13-15+, 18 June 1949. W326
The author opposes the Tydings-Vinson bills before Congress, that would give increased powers to the Department of Defense, because of the present policy of military censorship that requires clearance with the department before a member of the armed forces can give information to Congress.
Winfield, P. H. "Law of Libel and the Press." Fortnightly, 164:374-77, December 1948. W327
The author considers the present position of the British press in light of two modern decisions unfavorable to it under the libel law, and recommends legal reforms.
Winger, Howard W. "Public Library Holdings of Biased Books about Russia." In Occasional Papers, no. 1, University of Library School, July 1949. 12p. mimeo. W328 §
The results of this study show that in the case of selecting books on Russia, librarians have adhered to the principle of balance expressed in the Library Bill of Rights.
Winick, Charles. "Censor and Sensibility: A Content Analysis of the Television Censor's Comments." Journal of Broadcasting, 5:117-35, Spring 1961. W329
The article "is intended to convey the flavor of the censor's work, and provide an adequate introduction to this important phase of broadcasting self-regulation and management. It is possibly the only study of the broadcasting executive as a decision-maker." Tables classify the number of deletions and comments of censors by categories. The author concludes: "The matter-of-fact work of the network censors does not seem to represent the sort of interference with free expression around which the 'great debate' on censorship has raged."
-------. Taste and the Censor of Television. New York, Fund for the Republic, 1959. 34p. W330 §
The author discusses the self-regulatory code of the television industry which covers such areas of controversy as violence, sex, religion, and politics.
Winslow, Edward. Hypocrasie Unmasked: By A true Relation of the Proceedings of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts against Samuel Gorton (and his Accomplices) a notorious disturber of the Peace and quiet of the severall Governments wherein he lived: With the grounds and reasons thereof examined and allowed by their Generall Court holden at Boston in New England in November last, 1646 . . . London, Printed by Rich. Cotes for John Bellamy, 1646. 103p. (A reprint of the original edition, with an introduction by Howard Millar Chapin, was published in Providence, R.I., by the Club for Colonial Reprints, 1916) W331
Samuel Gorton had been convicted of blasphemy in the Massachusetts colony and, upon his return to England, wrote an expose of religious intolerance in Massachusetts. Winslow was sent to England to defend the colony against Gorton's charges. Hypocrasie Unmasked is Winslow's refutation of the accusations.
Winslow, John. The Battle of Lexington as Looked at in London before Chief-Justice Mansfield and a jury in the trial of John Horne, Esq., for libel on the British Government. New York, New York Society of the Order of the Founders and Patriots of America, 1897. 39p. (Publications no. 2) W332
Address read before the Society, 13 May 1897. Horne (later Horne Tooke) had denounced the battle as murder and proposed a subscription for the widows and orphans of the colonists killed at Lexington and Concord. Winslow gives a full account of the trial in 1775 in which Horne defended himself. He was found guilty of seditious libel and was sentenced to a year in prison and fined £200.
Winter, Calvin. "Index of Prohibited Books." Bookman, 34:185-90 October 1912. W333
A popular account of the origin and development of the Catholic Index. "There is nothing in the published index to give any hint as to the nature of the offense given by any particular book or the amount of correction necessary before the prohibition may be removed." The secretary of the Index is empowered to inform the author of the reason for the objection if he so requests.
[Winterbotham, William]. Trials of William Winterbotham for Seditious Words. London, 1794. 132p. W334
Wirt, Frederick M. "To See or Not to See: The Case Against Censorship." Film Quarterly, 13(1):26-31, Fall 1959. W335
"Films have been censored in the United States, as in other countries, for many years. Recently, however, censorship statutes have proved increasingly unenforceable in court, as well as increasingly unpopular. In this article we present the principle case for abolishing censorship entirely."
Wisconsin. Legislative Reference Library. Legislation to Control the Distribution of Obscene Materials with Special Reference to Wisconsin. Madison, Wis., The Library, 1960. 11p. (Bulletin 192) W336
Wisconsin. University. Extension Division. University of Wisconsin through the University Extension Division Lends Its Auspices to Newspaper and Magazine Men for the First National Newspaper Conference, to Consider the Question: Are Newspaper and Magazine Writers Free to Tell the Truth? If Not, Why Not, and What Can Be Done About It? [Madison, Wis.]. 1912. 8p. W337
The conference (29 July-1 August 1912) dealt mostly with censorship by advertisers. The Proceedings were published in the Bulletin of the University of Wisconsin, General Series, 1913.
Wisconsin Free Library Commission. "Free Library Commission Issues Statement on Freedom of Inquiry and Expression." Wisconsin Library Bulletin, 46:3-4, September 1950. W338
Wisconsin Library Association. Intellectual Freedom Committee. Intellectual Freedom. Madison, Wis., The Association, 1964. 55p. (A reprint from the Wisconsin Library Bulletin, May-June 1964) W339
Contents: ALA Library Bill of Rights, School Library Bill of Rights, Intellectual Freedom in Libraries (A Statement of Policy for the Wisconsin Library Association), The Sleeping Dog vs. The Stolen Horse by Margaret E. Monroe, To Hold in Trust (trustees responsibility) by Elizabeth J. Fabry, Municipal Administration and the Freedom to Read by John Colson, The Novel in the High School Library (Censorship or Selection), Arsenal of the Librarian (bibliography) by Leonard B. Archer, Jr.
"Wisconsin Policy as to the Literature of Disloyalty." Wisconsin Library Bulletin, 14:39-40, February 1918. W340
Text of a letter from the Wisconsin Library Commission to guide public libraries in handling literature relating to the war.
Withers, Philip. Alfred; or, A Narrative of the Daring and Illegal Measures to Suppress a Pamphlet, Intituled, Strictures in the Declaration of Horne Tooke, Esq., respecting "Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales," Commonly Called Mrs. Fitzherbert, etc. London, Philip Withers, 1789. 48p. W341
Chaplain Withers had written a pamphlet, signed "Alfred," exposing the secret marriage of the Prince of Wales to Mrs. Maria Ann Fitzherbert, whom he termed a "Catholic Whore." He delivered copies to James Ridgway, bookseller, who, instead of selling them, used them for political extortion. Richard B. Sheridan, a friend of Mrs. Fitzherbert, arranged for the suppression of the pamphlet. In the above signed pamphlet, in which he repeats his charges, Withers explains that he was "reduced to the alternative of publishing his own name, or of exposing honest men to the resentments of the Whig Party." Withers followed this with an anonymous pamphlet, Nemesis, or a Letter to Alfred, in which he continued to attack Mrs. Fitzherbert, charging her with intimacies with the Marquis de Bellois in Paris. For this work Mrs. Fitzherbert brought charges against Withers for libel, and the pamphleteer was imprisoned. While in prison he issued another tract, Alfred to the Bishop of London, defending his earlier charges, which he stated were made out of a sense of duty to Church and State. The London World supported Withers and it is likely that he was subsidized by certain government officials. At the trial Mrs. Fitzherbert was represented by Thomas Erskine, Withers by himself. When he was convicted of libel, but before sentencing, Withers published yet another pamphlet, Alfred's Apology, Second Part . . . with a Summary of the Trial of the Editor of Nemesis, on the Prosecution of Mrs. Fitzherbert, for a Libel. In the pamphlet Withers repeated his charges of immorality and defended his own motives in exposing the Prince's "wife." Withers was convicted and sentenced to serve twelve months in Newgate Prison and to pay a fine of £50.
-------. Alfred's Appeal, Containing His Address to the Court of King's Bench, on the Subject of the Marriage of Mary Anne Fitzherbert, and Her Intrigue with Count Bellois. [London], 1789. 88p. W342
Withers protested his conviction for libel of Mrs. Fitzherbert (see previous entry), complaining that the law was hostile to the discovery of truth and the freedom of the press, and that he had only done his duty as a "good Citizen and a Protestant Minister." A full account of the Withers affair is given in Werkmeister, The London Daily Press, 1772-1792.
Withers, Samuel. "The Library, the Child and the Censors." New York Times Magazine, 8 April 1962, pp. 53-58. W343
An account of recent trends toward censorship in school libraries. Reports on the dropping of Huckleberry Finn from the approved textbook list of the New York schools, which turned out to be objection to the expurgated edition.
Witherspoon, John. Serious Inquiry into the Nature and Effects of the Stage: and a Letter Respecting Play Actors . . . Also a Sermon on the Burning of the Theatre at Richmond; by Samuel Miller . . . together with an Introductory Address, by Several Ministers in New York, etc. New York, Whiting & Watson, 1812. 199p. (First published in Glasgow, 1757) W344
Dr. Witherspoon was principal of Princeton University.
Witman, Arthur L. "Canon 35 Abridges Freedom of Press and Denies Public Its Right to Know." Quill, 46(6):8-9, 19-20, June 1958. W345
"Gains are being made in some states in relaxing restrictions against courtroom cameras but photographers believe now is the time to launch frontal attack on this outmoded bar-rule."
Witt, Marion. "`Great Art Beaten Down': Yeats on Censorship." College English, 13:248-58, February 1952. (Reprinted in Downs, The First Freedom, pp. 382-88) W346 §
"From the beginning to the end of his life, as poet, playwright, theatre manager, and public man, Yeats never surrendered to the forces of repression . . . he repeatedly stated that unless the Abbey [Theatre] could be free of government or mob interference, he preferred to close its doors." An account of Yeat's battle against Irish censorship, a battle which he lost.
Wittenberg, Philip. Dangerous Words; a Guide to the Law of Libel. New York, Columbia University Press, 1947. 335p. W347
Consideration of the law of libel from the point of view of prevention. "What libel is, what words or groupings of words are libelous, how such words are construed, against what background they are scrutinized in point of time and place of utterance." Truth as a defense, libel of the dead, group libel, libel of minority groups, and defamation by radio are among the topics covered. The author is a New York patent and copyright lawyer.
-------. The Law of Literary Property. Cleveland, World Publishing Co., 1956. 284p. W348
Chapters on Literature and Censorship, Right of Privacy, and Libel.
Wittmer, Felix, and Thomas F. Hunt. "Slow Poison for the Young Idea; Two Educators Report on Pro-Soviet Texts." Freeman, 2:142-45, 3 December 1951. W349
Wittmer criticizes as pro-Soviet the Oxford Social Studies pamphlet, Our Stake in the Far East, and recommends it be prohibited from the schools. Hunt criticizes as pro-Soviet the National Education Association publication, Building America.
Wolfe, Don M., ed. Leveller Manifistoes of the Puritan Revolution . . . Foreword by Charles A. Beard. New York, Nelson, 1944. 440p. W350
Contains text and commentary of the major documents of the Levellers, including several attacks and remonstrances against the licensing of the press. One of the principle documents relating to the free press is: To the . . . Commons of England, dated 1648 (pp. 322-30). "To put the least restraint upon the Press, seems altogether inconsistent with the good of the Commonwealth, and expresly opposite and dangerous to the liberties of the people, and to be carefully awarded." The petition asks that the people be permitted to express themselves freely in "speaking, writing, printing, and publishing . . . without seting of Masters, Tutors, and Controulers over them."
-------. "Milton and Mirabeau." PMLA, 49:1116-28, December 1934. W351
A comparison of Milton's Areopagitica (1644) and Mirabeau's Sur la liberté de la Presse imité de l'Anglais de Milton (1788).
-------. Milton in the Puritan Revolution. New York, Nelson, 1941. 496p. W352
The author devotes a chapter to the Areopagitica which he calls "the most drastically radical tract of its day." In opening free discussion of revolutionary ideas, "Milton was arguing for a principle so far-reaching that even he himself was unwilling in practice to accept it: the right to agitate for the overthrow of the dominant political and economic interests." In other chapters the author deals with Lilburne, Goodwin, Prynne, Overton, and Walwyn, including their views on press freedom.
Wolfram, Harold W. "John Lilburne: Democracy's Pillar of Fire." Syracuse Law Review, 3:213-58, Spring 1952. W353
"A Woman and a Book." Bookman, 60:385-86, December 1924. W354
An editorial in The Point of View section, comparing the exploitation and advertising for public sale of an indecent book to the prostitution of a woman, and calling for censorship of the author or publisher who abets such prostitution.
The Woman Rebel. New York. March 1914-August 1914. Monthly. Edited by Margaret Sanger. W355
The paper served as the news organ for Mrs. Sanger's fight for freedom of birth control information. In the first issue she attacked Anthony Comstock and the vice societies and announced the intention of publishing contraception information. She was informed by the New York Postmaster that the issue was unmailable on grounds of obscenity. The story of her indictment and exile to Canada is told in her biography, My Fight for Birth Control, as well as in issues of The Woman Rebel.
Wood, A. L. S. "Keeping the Puritans Pure." American Mercury, 6:74-78, September 1925. W356
A Springfield (Mass.) newspaperman describes the censorship practices of the New England Watch and Ward Society and particularly the tactics of its secretary, the Rev. J. Frank Chase. Following H. L. Mencken's brush with the Society in Boston, April 1926, this article was reprinted for distribution.
Wood, Charles E. S. Free Speech and the Constitution in the War . . . being Substantially a Reprint of the Argument against the Constitutionality of the Espionage Act, from the Brief Filed in the Marie Equi Case, no. 3328 U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Ninth Circuit, James E. Fenton, Attorney. [Portland, Ore., The Author, 1919]. 29p. W357
Wood, Dallas E. "To Print, or Not to Print." Quill, 27(12):3-4+, December 1939. W358
A California editor advises how to handle the request: "Please keep it out of the paper!"
Wood, Eric F. "The British Censorship." Saturday Evening Post, 189:5-7, 101-2, 28 April 1917; 189:18-19, 105-6, 5 May 1917. W359
Censorship in Great Britain during World War I.
Wood, H. H. "Books Burnt." Notes and Queries, 11 (1st ser.):288-89. W360
A list compiled principally from the Acts and Orders of the Commonwealth and supplementing the list of B. H. Cooper, appearing in earlier issues of Notes and Queries.
Wood, John. A Correct Statement of the Various Sources from Which the History of the Administration of John Adams was Compiled, and the Motives for Its Suppression by Col. Burr: With Some Observations on a Narrative, by a Citizen of New-York By John Wood, Author of the Said History. New York, Printed and sold for the author by G. F. Hopkins, 1802. 49p. W361
A reply to James Cheetham's A Narrative of the Suppression by Col. Burr, of the History of the Administration of John Adams. In June 1801, Wood writes, he entered into agreement with Barlas and Ward, booksellers, to publish this history of the Adams administration to be finished that fall. Wood found the truth difficult to establish because of so much partisanship in the press and required more time for research. The publishers insisted that it be ready on time or forfeit a penalty. Wood said he gathered information mainly from the Aurora, Mr. Duane, and Mr. Callender. Their information proved to be "false and libellous," particularly with respect to the relation of Adams to Franklin. By November, because of inaccuracies, Wood began to doubt whether the book should be published. He and the publishers decided to submit it to an independent judge, Brockholst Livingston, who let Burr see it. They agreed it should not be published and Burr suggested that the edition be purchased, but that his name be withheld from the transaction. The publishers agreed.
-------. The History of the Administration of John Adams . . . New York, 1802. 506p. W362
"This book was printed and ready for publication in December, 1801, but was suppressed at the instigation of Aaron Burr as being incorrect and also libelous. Overtures were made to the publishers, Messrs. Barlas and Ward, by Burr and his friends, for the purchase of the edition and it was finally given up to them. The book was subsequently issued. When . . . placed on sale a new title page was added bearing the imprint, 'New York printed 1802.'" Quoted from Tomkins' Bibliography Jeffersoniana, 1887. Aside from the facts of suppression, the original work is of some interest because of its observations on the sedition trials, including the cases against Callender, Cooper, Duane, Fries, Frothingham, Lyon, Reynolds, Robbins, and Williams.
-------. The Suppressed History of the Administration of John Adams, (from 1797 to 1801) as Printed and Suppressed in 1802. By John Wood . . . Now Republished with Notes, and an Appendix, by John Henry Sherburne. . . . Philadelphia, Published for the Editor, 1846. 392p. W363
The original work, highly critical of the second President, was published in 1802 but, according to Sherburne's introduction to this edition, all but a few copies were burned. The copy used in this reprinting was presumably presented to the editor's father (Judge Sherburne of New Hampshire) by Thomas Jefferson. The story of the suppression of the first printing is related by Sherburne as follows: While the work was in the hands of a New York printer, a copy of the printed sheets was mysteriously conveyed by a "renowned political star of that day" to "a certain lady conspicuous at that period for her deep political intrigue," who, in turn, showed the sheets to "another political luminary" who appeared unfavorably in the work. The latter commissioned two of his friends to purchase the entire edition, which was done and the copies were burned. A few copies escaped the flames, however, and came into the possession of various political figures. The incident, according to Sherburne, was the commencement of hostilities between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, which terminated in the fatal duel. In 1802 James Cheetham and the author, John Wood, both wrote their somewhat different versions of the episode, but both involve Aaron Burr.
Wood, William R. "Newspaper Censorship." Congressional Record, 55 (App.):269, 2 June 1917. W364
"In my opinion the real purpose of this measure [wartime censorship of the press] is not so much for prevention of the publication of information that would be of comfort to our enemies or detrimental to our own Army as it is to shield the inefficiency of those who will be in high places in the conduct of the affairs of the nation during the present crisis." The author is a representative from Indiana.
Woodcock, George. "The Critic's Freedom." Now, 9:3, July-August 1947. W365
The great cinema combines are beginning to attempt control not only over film production, but over film criticism, witness the action of MGM in trying to persuade the B.B.C. to drop a film critic.
[Woodfall, Henry S.]. "Trial in London for Publishing Junius's Letter to the King, 1770." In Howell, State Trials, vol. 20, pp. 895 ff. Pleadings of the crown lawyers and defense counsel are given in A Collection of Scarce and Interesting Tracts, vol. 4, pp. 114-25. W366 §
In this historic trial Judge Mansfield directed the jury to disregard the intention of the writer or the truth or falsehood of the assumed libel. Instead, the jury disregarded the judge's directions and found the editor of the Public Advertiser guilty of publication only, which was a virtual acquittal. A subsequent letter by Junius criticized Judge Mansfield's opinion.
Woodin, Glenn W. "Contributions of Mr. Justice Gaynor to the Law of Libel and Slander." Bench and Bar, 12 (n.s.):102-15, July 1917. W367
Woodlock, Thomas F. "Make Responsibility Real." Commonweal, 1:201-2, 31 December 1924. W368
The author advocates jury trial for obscenity cases, with the jurors reading and deciding on the publications themselves.
Woodruff, Clinton R. "Indictment against the Bill-Board. Outlook, 87:582-86, 16 November 1907. W369
In support of a court decision enjoining an offensive billboard. The author argues that the government should protect the public against an aesthetic offense as well as against a moral offense or an infectious disease.
Woods, Amy. "Boston and the 'Movie' Censorship." Survey, 44:108-9, 17 April 1920. W370
A member of the executive committee of the Massachusetts State Committee on Motion Pictures favors a Massachusetts bill creating a state censorship board to preview all movies and claims backing by 347 organizations. She objects to the so-called "Boston Plan" (Survey, 1 May), sponsored by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures.
-------. "Shall We Have State Censorship of Motion Pictures?" Boston, State Committee on Motion Pictures [in Massachusetts], 1920. 4p. W371
Woods, Harriett. "It's Candy-Time in St. Louis." Focus/Midwest, 3(10-11):18-21, 1965. W372
When the St. Louis County Council set up a Decent Literature Commission in 1963, Dr.William Landau, neurologist and local civil liberties leader, accepted appointment on the Committee to prevent censorship. This is an account of the problems and conflicts that developed.
Woodson, Fred W. "Newspaper Publication of Names of Juvenile Offenders." Focus, 33:146-55, Fall 1954. W373
"One of the fundamental principles of juvenile court philosophy and practices is that files on juveniles within the court's jurisdiction should not be opened to persons having no legitimate interest therein. To reveal the names of juvenile offenders through the press violates this principle; in some jurisdictions to do so would violate an explicitly worded statute." The article reviews this issue in light of the recent attacks on the principle by the press.
Woodsworth, J. S. "Bible a Seditious and Libelous Book in Canada." Crucible, 3:1-2, 14 March 1920. W374
Woodsworth is indicted for quoting from the Bible, Isaiah 10:1-2 and 6:21-22. The passages relate to the right of the poor and needy and the right of the workman to reap the benefit of his labor: "They shall not build, and another inhabit."
Woody, Thomas. "Affirmation versus Negation in American Education." School and Society, 79:33-39, 6 February 1954. W375
The "spirit of eternal negation" dominates American thought today--censorship, loyalty oaths, blacklists, investigations, suspicion of strange ideas, etc. The author cites numerous examples of the denial of the free flow of ideas, taken from scanning the pages of the New York Times. He calls for affirmation of faith in the American doctrine of freedom. "Affirmation is the rule of life; negation that of death."
Wooler, Thomas J. Appeal to the Citizens of London against the Alleged Lawful Mode of Packing Special Juries . . . London, Wooler, 1817. 32p. W376
Following the trial of John Horne Tooke attention was drawn by Mr. Wooler and by the city solicitor, Charles Pearson, to the illegal preparation of jury lists by the king's attorney and coroner which led to the packing of juries in a number of libel cases. With the support of the Court, the corrupt system was brought to an end. Wooler's Black Dwarf, 26 November 1817, published this verse describing the court corruption in libel cases:
The Master was the official who compiled the jury list.
[-------]. A Verbatim Report of the Two Trials of Mr. T. J. Wooler, Editor of the Black Dwarf for Alledged Libels, before Mr. Justice Abbott, and a Special Jury, on Thursday, June 5, 1817. Taken in Short-Hand by an eminent writer, and Revised by T. J. Wooler. London, T. J. Wooler, 1817. 143p. W377
Wooler's Black Dwarf, a radical reform paper, was the subject of extensive government persecution during its brief life. Booksellers and other vendors who offered it for sale were arrested and held at high bail; stocks were seized; and the publisher was finally brought to trial on charges of seditious libel against the character of Lord Castlereagh and Mr. Canning. Wooler spoke in his own behalf, attacking the doctrine of "constructive libel" and the practices of employing "ex-officio informations." He was found guilty, but because of a technicality the verdict was set aside.
[-------, and James Watson, Sr.]. A Narrative of the Trial of Thomas Jonathan Wooler, for a Libel on His Majesty's Ministers; and of Dr. James Watson, Senior, for High Treason. With an account of the acquittal of Thistlewood, Preston and Hooper and Remarks by the Publisher. Glasgow, Printed by R. Chapman for W. M. Borthwick, 1817. 155p. W378
An unsympathetic reporting of the trials of Wooler and Watson before Lord Ellenborough, et al. Wooler was found guilty, but the verdict was set aside because of a technicality; Watson was found not guilty.
Woolf, S. J. "Interview with Our Unofficial 'Censor.'" New York Times Magazine, 20 October 1946, pp. 24, 65. W379
"Mr. [John] Sumner of the Anti-Vice Society talks of his career in suppressing the 'impure.'" "'Broadmindedness,' he is quoted as saying, 'is all right so long as it does not strike home.'" The article includes a drawing of Sumner by the author. Another article about Sumner by the same author appears in the New York Times, 9 October 1932, section 8, p. 2.
Woolfolk, William. A Book for Burning. 1 hour television movie produced by Plautus Productions, New York for "The Defenders" (created by Reginald Rose) and presented over the C.B.S. television network, 1963. (Production no. 60; Not available for distribution) W380 §
Many of the basic issues in censorship are brought out in this courtroom drama in which the fictional father-and-son team, Lawrence and Ken Preston, defend an author against charges of obscenity. The case involves the arrest of the author by a local police officer at the instigation of the mayor. Despite threats from the mayor, who is his father-in-law, the judge (the hero of the episode), following an extensive airing of the issues, dismisses the case. The small-town librarian favors censorship; the bookstore owner is afraid to defend the book; the newspaper editor defends the author in his editorial, but is afraid to testify because of possible retaliation.
Woolley, William. Trials . . . W. Woolley for Publishing a Libel on Sir Richard Hill and Rev. Rowland Hill. . . . Intitled A Cure for Centing, etc. London, 1794. 82p. W381
Woolsey, John M. "The Monumental Decision of the United States District Court Rendered December 6, 1933, By Hon. John M. Woolsey Lifting the Ban on Ulysses" In James Joyce, Ulysses. New York, Modern Library, 1934, pp. ix-xiv. W382
The Woolsey decision and the affirming decision of Judge Augustus N. Hand of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, appear in many other sources, including the appendix of the John Lane edition of Ulysses (1936), Downs, The First Freedom, pp. 83-89, a recent German periodical, Akzente (July 1965), and in 5 Federal Supplement 182-85 and 72 Federal Reporter, 2d ser., 706-9.
Woolston, Thomas. A Defence of the Miracle of the Thundering Legion. London, 1726. 112p. W383
The Dictionary of National Biography describes the Defence as "a remarkable tour de force that ends with a fine appeal for liberty of publication, on the ground that 'it is the opposition of others that sharpens wit and brightens truth.'" Woolston wrote the work when he was under attack for blasphemy for his A Moderator between an Infidel and an Apostate. His light and sometimes witty treatment of sacred themes seems to have been the real basis for his persecution.
[-------]. "Trial for Writing and Publishing Four Books on the Miracles, 1729." In Borrow, Celebrated Trials, vol. 3, pp. 432-39. W384 §
In 1725 Woolston, an enthusiastic freethinker, published A Moderator between an Infidel and an Apostate, relating to a theological quarrel between Anthony Collins and Edward Chandler. This was followed by two supplements. In these works Woolston interpreted as an allegory the story of the Resurrection and the Virgin Birth. For this and A Defence of the Miracle of the Thundering Legion he was brought to trial and, in 1729, was fined and sentenced to a year in prison. At the end of the year, being unable to pay his fine he remained in prison where he died in 1733.
Wooster, Harold A. "A Few Thoughts on Libraries and the Spirit of Censorship." Library Journal, 69:917-18, 1 November 1944. W385
"Libraries are primarily concerned in making wholesome constructive reading available on a community-wide basis. They disapprove of the commercial exploitation of 'goodness' or 'badness' by authors and publishers, respect honesty and sincerity in literary expression, and feel that the adult individual reader has full power of necessary censorship, within himself, through selective reading." Matthew A. McKavitt criticizes the article in Library World, May 1945.
Worcester, Leonard. A Discourse on the Alton Outrage, Delivered at Peacham, Vermont, December 17, 1837. Concord, N.H., A. McFarland, 1838. 16p. W386
Relates to the murder of Elijah P. Lovejoy in defense of his printing press.
"Worcester Library Directors Support Their Librarian." Library Journal, 74:649, 15 April 1949. W387
Directors of the Free Public Library in Worcester, Mass., accept and endorse the Library Bill of Rights. Action followed removal of Serenade and God's Little Acre from the library by action of the Attorney General of Massachusetts. Directors instructed the librarian to surrender no books in the future without a court order.
The Word; a Monthly Journal of Reform. Princeton, Mass., 1872-93. W388 §
This little paper, sometimes only a few pages, was edited by Ezra Heywood and his wife Angela, who campaigned for freedom in sexual expression and the sexual emancipation of women. It figured in various prosecutions of Heywood on obscenity charges, including the August 1882 issue in which appeared two poems of Whitman's from Leaves of Grass.
A Word to the Wise: Or, Some Seasonable Cautions about Regulating the Press. London, n.p., 1712. 22p. W389
The anonymous author calls for a stop to the scandalous licentiousness of the press which has libeled both king and church. He urges that the author's name be required on every publication as a method of insuring the truth. Licensing is not the answer; persons should not be punished before any crime is committed. "The Church which has Truth on her side, cannot be shaken by any Attacks from the Press that Error can make, while she has Liberty to defend herself the same way." The church and monarchy have gained more than they have lost by freedom of the press. To prohibit a work is to make it more attractive. It has been said "that none can be against truth, but when Truth is against 'em." Only a guilty government would consider restraint of the press.
Work, Telford. "Something is Lacking in 'Public Disclosure.'" California Publisher, 45(2):24, November 1965. W390
The case for publishing lists of tax assessments in newspapers, inspired by bribery indictments of two California assessors.
"Work of the War Censor on the Field and at Home." Literary Digest, 57:46-53, 20 April 1918. W391
The World, (New York). The Roosevelt Panama Libel Case against the New York World [The United States v. The Press Publishing Co.]. A Brief History of the Attempt of President Roosevelt by Executive Usurpation to Destroy the Freedom of the Press in the United States, together with the Text of the Unanimous Decision of the United States Supreme Court Handed down by Mr. Chief Justice White, Affirming the Action of Judge Hough of the United States Court in Quashing the Indictment. [New York], Published for the New York World, 1911. 88p. W392
[-------]. The Roosevelt Panama Libel Case against the New York World and Indianapolis News; Decision of Hon. Charles M. Hough, Judge of the United States Court for the Southern District of New York, and Hon. Albert B. Anderson, Judge of the United States Court for the District of Indiana. Together with an Account of the Circumstances That Led to the Unprecedented Prosecutions on the Part of the United States Government, and a Stenographic Report of the Trial of the New York World [New York], Printed for the New York World, 1910. 109p. W393
World League for Sexual Reform, 3rd Congress, London, 1929. Sexual Reform Congress. Proceedings of the Third Congress. Edited by Norman Haire. London, Paul, Trench, Trübner, 1930. 670p. W394
Includes discussions of the British law of obscene libel by H. F. Rubenstein and Laurence Housman, censorship of literature by Desmond MacCarthy, suppression of birth control information in United States, Ireland, and France by Marie C. Stopes, British stage censorship by John Van Druten, British film censorship by Ivor Montagu, taboos leading to the suppression of literature by Bertrand Russell and George Ives, and discussions of sex and censorship by F. P. Streeton and Hertha Riese.
World's Press News and Advertisers' Review. London, 1929-date. Weekly. W395
This organ of the British press industry (advertising, press, publicity, printing, and paper) regularly carries news dealing with freedom of the press.
Worthington, George. An Inquiry into the Power of Juries to Decide Incidentally on Questions of Law. London, S. Sweet, 1825. 197p. W396
It is the object of this inquiry to demonstrate that, on every point of law, libel juries are bound to obey the direction of the judge presiding at the trial. A lengthy critical review of the work in the Westminster Review (October 1827) charges the author with attempting to reverse the doctrine settled by the Fox Libel Act of 1792, establishing the rights of juries in libel cases. The reviewer suggests the work be retitled, after Defoe, The Shortest Way with Juries; or Proposal for the Establishment of Absolute Judges.
Worthington, George E. "Statutory Restrictions on Birth Control." Journal of Social Hygiene, 9:458-65, November 1923 (Excerpts in Johnsen, Selected Articles on Birth Control, pp. 36-44) W397 §
Wortman, Tunis. A Treatise Concerning Political Enquiry, and the Liberty of the Press. New York, Printed by George Forman for the Author, 1800. 296p. (Excerpts in Theodore A. Schroeder, Free Press Anthology, pp. 36-38) W398
"The freedom of speech and opinion, is not only necessary to the happiness of Man, considered as a Moral and Intellectual Being, but indispensibly requisite to the perpetuation of Civil Liberty. To enforce and advocate that inestimable right, is the principal object of the present Treatise." In a careful appraisal of Wortman's contribution to an American libertarian theory, Leonard W. Levy writes in his Legacy of Suppression: "It is, in a sense, the book that Jefferson did not write but should have." Wortman, a New York lawyer, expresses the libertarian views held, though not always practiced, by the Jeffersonian administration. He defends the unlimited natural right of people to express opinion in government. Freedom of thought and open debate is the only basis for intelligent management of human affairs, particularly of a democratic government. Like John Locke, Wortman espouses the theory of involuntary belief, that one's ideas are the natural and inevitable product of association and environment. The individual should have unlimited freedom to pursue knowledge, to form his own opinions, and to transmit his ideas to others. Even willful and seditious libels should not be prosecuted unless an overt act is involved. Honest government and wide publication of the truth are more effective than prosecution in combating libel. Like Milton, Wortman believed that truth would ultimately triumph over falsehood. This classic work on freedom of the press was published the same year as Madison's Virginia Report on the Alien and Sedition Acts and reflects somewhat similar ideas.
Wright, Andrew. A Report of the Trial of Andrew Wright, Printer of the "Republican Spy," on an Indictment for Libels against Governor Strong, before the Hon. Theophilus Parsons, Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, at Northampton, Sept. Term 1806. Northampton, Published by Andrew Wright, 1806. 32p. W399
Wright, H. G. The Life and Works of Arthur Hall of Grantham, Member of Parliament, Courtier, and First Translator of Homer into English. Manchester, Eng., University of Manchester Press, 1919. 233p. (Publications of the University of Manchester, English Series no. 9) W400
In 1580 Hall was sentenced to imprisonment for five months and deprived of his membership in the House for publishing a pamphlet reflecting upon the late Speaker of the House and criticizing the proceedings. Any unofficial reporting of Parliamentary proceedings was prohibited. The account of Hall's trial appears as a document in the appendix, pp. 187-89.
Wright, Herbert. "Henry Brooke's Gustavus Vasa." Modern Language Review, 14:173-82, April 1919. W401
Henry Brooke's play about a fictional Swedish king was the first stage production to be banned by the Lord Chamberlain under the Licensing Act of 1737 (Walpole Administration). Following the ban (in 1737) the book appeared and sold in much greater quantities as a result of the publicity from the ban. Samuel Johnson supported Brooke and opposed the ban in an article appearing in the Gentleman's Magazine.
Wright, J. Skelly. "A Judge's Views: The News Media and Criminal Justice." American Bar Association Journal, 50:1125-29, December 1964. W402
"To lessen dangers of trial by mass media, newspapers, radio and television should broaden their perspective of criminal coverage with the cooperation of judges. The first televised cases should be carefully chosen, with proceedings of appellate courts a likely place to begin."--FOI Digest.
Wright, John. Sermon Delivered at the Long Room, Marble Street, Liverpool, on . . . April 8th, 1817 . . . for Which a Prosecution Is Commenced on a Charge of Blasphemy. Liverpool, F. B. Wright, 1817. 26p. W403
After this publication of the offending sermon the prosecution was discontinued.
Wright, Kenneth D. "Henry Fielding and the Theatres Act of 1737." Quarterly Journal of Speech, 50:252-58, October 1964. W404
"In 1737 . . . Henry Fielding devoted his genius to the task of exposing and destroying parliamentary corruption, then at its height. Walpole, unable to govern without corruption, promptly gagged the stage by a censorship which is in full force at the present moment."
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