Il. Horowitz et Me. Curtis, POLITICS AND PUBLISHING IN A DEMOCRATIC-SOCIETY - TECHNICAL BREAKTHROUGHS AND RESEARCH AGENDAS, Publishing research quarterly, 10(3), 1994, pp. 22-30
Publishing nourishes best in a democratic society. Technological chang
es alter the relationship of forces so that opportunities for publishi
ng expand. A broader range of information channels, for example, incre
ases choice and makes authoritarian rule more difficult. Publishing al
so enhances democracy when decisions are made on the basis of merit ra
ther than top-down legislation. Research should reflect awareness of t
he interaction of publishing and politics. Such areas as the relations
hip between public and private sectors, the impact of internationaliza
tion, non-U.S. ownership of information, mergers and acquisitions, and
conflict between the First Amendment and copyright law, are examples
of areas in which democratic outcomes are critical. Decision making in
publishing would benefit from heightened awareness of the political c
onsequences of publishers' activities.