ABSTRACT
The citizen can participate in political life with some confidence only if he has the materials needed for constructing confident judgments. Educational institutions, the press, and the broadcasting industry are the nation's principal means for widespread dissemination of the knowledge, ideas, and convictions that are requisite for government by the people. The educational system prepares the citizen for the intake of knowledge about a vast world that he cannot see, and for adjustment of this new knowledge to what he already knows and believes. Broadcasting falls between education and publication in respect to degree of subjection to governmental control. The authority of FCC to influence the character and quality of radio and television broadcasts is constantly challenged as an interference with freedom of expression. Many broadcasters have shown great reluctance to probe the interests and wishes of the expected audience and community leaders.
