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The fact that violence against the press has existed throughout much of American history is an apparent paradox. How can a people who extol freedom of the press condone infringements on that freedom? Yet many have. Nerone cautions against relegating this all-too-frequent abuse to "part of the distant and colorful past, a product of antique prejudices and outmoded values." To the contrary, he considers such violence "an integral part of public expression' that calls for systematic explanation. He believes the subject should be understood culturally, with the press and society interacting within the framework of a particular context.
Given the impressive evidence upon which he bases the book, his line of argument appears reasonable and valid. Nerone identifies four basic types of anti-press violence:...