Economics and the Press; B. Summers

564 they must be owned by the state. H uman nature being what it is, it is extremely doubtful that gov ernment presses in government buildings on government land would print much copy that dis pleased the government. This alone is probably enough to ensure that publications like Pravda will never be anything other than state propaganda sheets. Even if a socialistic govern ment decided that publishers are somehow different from every body else and granted them the exclusive right to own property, this would by no means guarantee journalistic independence. Where are the publishers to get their supplies? Who is to manufacture and distribute the newsprint, ink, spare parts, and all the other paraphernalia needed to keep the presses running? As publishers in 1973 ECONOMICS AND THE PRESS 565 Chile have recently found, govern ment control of these supplies can be an effective lever against dis sent.

As these examples show, con stitutional guarantees of press freedom can prove meaningless if the state has some control over the economic factors of publica tion. To pursue the matter further, let us consider the publisher's sources of revenue. If he does not want to find himself beholden to the state, his sources had best not include the government. In capi talistic countries the two main sources are private in nature: sales and advertising. In fact, some publications are free - they exist entirely on their advertising revenues. Without such privately financed advertising, numerous in dependent journalistic voices would be stilled. In socialist countries there is little need for advertising because there is little or no competition. The government manufactures the only products being offered on the market, aside from whatever imports it may permit. Being a monopolist, the state has little or no reason to place advertisements.

If the government does buy ad vertising space, publishers are well aware of where the money comes from. Even in a mixed economy, such as we have in the United States, government advertising can have a chilling effect on journalistic in dependence. Many newspapers op erate on the border between profit and loss. To more than one small paper a contract for legal adver tising for the county has meant the difference between red and black ink. The free enterprise system is important to the publisher for more than just maintaining his journalistic integrity. Even if he maintains his integrity, he must still deal with a problem facing all entrepreneurs: staying in busi ness. Government interventions in the economy often make this prob lem insurmountable. To cite just three examples, the publisher must contend with government in flation of the money supply, rising taxes, and laws that prohibit the hiring of nonunion workers. The last have been particularly dam aging, for they have not only in creased overhead, but they have also led to lengthy strikes that have temporarily, and sometimes permanently, put newspapers out of business.

As even this cursory examina tion reveals, freedom of the press, which so many Americans hold as sacred, is not an isolated freedom. Rather, it is based on the economic freedoms which many Americans, particularly members of the press, view with disdain. ~ R. J. RUSHDOONY THOMAS A KEMPIS (1379-1471) wrote a devotional manual entitled On the Following (or Imitation) of Christ, said by some to be, after the Bible, the most widely read book in history. The title sums up the maj or cultural goal in the his tory of Western civilization, the attempt to create a social order in terms of Christ and. Scripture. With the Renaissance, and then with the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, another cul tural goal came into existence, the imitation of the non-working rich, royalty, or nobility. The object of envy and imitation became the idle classes, men beyond work, men who could live in contempt of monetary considerations, morality, and law. The rake and the dandy became heroes; they seemed to Rev. Rushdoony is President of Chalcedon, an educational organization dedicated to furthering Christian research and writing. He is author of numerous books and a frequent campus lecturer. This article is reprinted by permission from Chalcedon Report, May, 1973.