Banned in the media : a reference guide to censorship in the press, motion pictures, broadcasting, and the Internet /

Foerstel devotes one chapter of this collection of materials to a brief history of censorship; another chapter describes seven prominent incidents, from the Zenger trial to the "tobacco wars." A chronology makes up yet a third chapter, and the last presents the essence of a half-dozen interviews of prominent media figures. The author includes two appendixes--one on the high-school press, the other a list of advocacy groups--and a short bibliography, including a useful list of Web sites. With so wide a scope, one should not be surprised that Foerstel has trouble doing justice to the material; many of these stories have been discussed at greater length elsewhere. Libraries with a strong interest in journalism may want to acquire this collection of essays, but not for the reference section despite the title. P. L. Holmer; Southern Connecticut State University

Gr 9 Up-Foerstel opens with a brief history of censorship in newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and the Internet. The next chapter discusses seven prominent examples of media censorship, including John Henry Faulk and the radio blacklist, the tobacco wars involving 60 Minutes, and problems with the Internet at Carnegie Mellon University. Chapter three is a chronological history of 28 media-censorship cases beginning in 1812 with United States v. Hudson and Goodwin and ending with Playboy Entertainment Group v. United States in 1997. The title closes with six editorials by prominent media spokespeople such as Daniel Schorr and Walter Cronkite. Appendixes consist of a survey of student-press censorship and a selective list of media advocacy and censorship organizations. A selected bibliography of books and Web sites completes the text. While not a standard ready-reference tool, this well-researched book will be useful.-Priscilla Bennett, State University of West Georgia (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.