This 20th- Century Fund Report seeks to bridge the gap between journalism as practiced in the advanced Western democracies, with its emphasis on freedom to print and broadcast news, and in the Third World where there is a call for a new world information order. Fenby presents a group portrait of the four major international news agencies--United Press International, Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse. He reviews the history and current role of the news services, including their financial structure, editorial organization and general mode of operation. He examines the validity of criticism against them--charges of political and cultural imperialism sensationalism, and bias against the developing nations or development. He also examines how these agencies respond to political pressures around the world, whether they impose self-censorship, and whether they serve the public responsibly. ISBN 0-8052-3995-2 : $19.95.

Abstract.