Shooting the smut stork : the American print media confronts two federal pornography commissions, 1970-1986

Two federal pornography commissions were created in the United States in the 20 th century. Products of very different political and social climates, the commissions asked different questions, operated according to different policy guidelines, and reached divergent conclusions about how best to deal with the issue of pornography in American society. The President's Commission on Obscenity and Pornography was created under President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968 during a time when increasing sexual permissiveness clashed with conservative forces trying to stem what they perceived to be an almost irreparable decline in morality. The commission report recommended the repeal of all prohibitive legislation pertaining to adult access to sexual materials. The 1986 Attorney General's Commission on Pornography, on the other hand, worked under the aegis of the Justice Department directly at the behest of President Ronald Reagan. This later report explicitly insisted that existing legislation on pornography be enforced, and encouraged civic participation in stemming the flood of pornographic fare. This thesis examines the American print media coverage of these two federal pornography commissions. In particular, it explores the pornography issue as a linchpin for the discussion of larger issues, which in turn propagates normative identities and a hierarchy of authority around issues of sexualit