Leaving It There? The Hutchins Commission and Modern American Journalism

Abstract

Using the recommendations of the Commission on Freedom of the Press (Hutchins Commission), we ask today's media consumers how they rate the performance of modern American journalism. We employ original survey data collected from journalism students at a major Midwest university, framing our findings in the context of the commission's 1947 recommendations. The result is presentation of contemporary opinions about the performance of American media in the context of journalism ideals articulated more than 60 years ago.