Abstract

The history of the National News Council's creation and demise demonstrates that there are well‐grounded rationales in social vision between those who supported the concept of the NNC and those who believe its etablishment was ill‐founded. This article suggests that the root of the NNC controversy lies in the differences between Madison and Jefferson's perspectives on the place of information in society. Madison and Jefferson's view on press freedom and responsibility may be as important to the debate about the NNC's status as the more frequently cited pragmatic considerations such as the Council's infrastructure or management. The philosophic issues raised here are ethical at base, and should be considered by critics contemplating vehicles for media accountability.