ew being uncontrolled and truly
independent. In consequence, the public has long regarded the press as
generally biased, tainted with propaganda, and not reliable as a source
of objective news.

Under the dictatorship imposed by King Carol II in 1938 and during the
wartime regime of Marshal Ion Antonescu, censorship was officially
proclaimed and rigidly enforced. Since that time the communications
media have enjoyed only one period of relative freedom, lasting only a
few weeks following the coup d'etat of King Michael in August 1944.
After Michael's deposition and during the struggle for power that
followed, the Communists effectively controlled the press and radio
through the unions serving these facilities, which they had heavily
infiltrated. After their seizure of power in 1948, the Communists
instituted a system of censorship and control that has continued without
interruption.

The 1965 Constitution, the third promulgated by the Communists since
their takeover of the government, is less moderate in tone than its
predecessors in preserving the fiction of the right of citizens to
individual freedoms. The document states that freedom of speech, of the
press, and of assembly "cannot be used for aims hostile to the socialist
system and to the interests of the working people." This same article
also prohibits associations of a "fascist" or "anti-democratic" nature,
as well as the participation of citizens in such associations. The
Constitution names the Romanian Communist Party (Partidul Communist
Roman--PCR) as the leading political force in the country; by virtue of
its position, the party has become the ultimate authority in determining
actions that are "fascist," "anti-democratic," or "hostile to the
socialist system."

In 1972 the regime continued to utilize the conventional information
media--newspapers, magazines, books, radio, television, and motion
pictures--as an integrated, governmental system for the indoctrination
of the population and the molding of public opinion in support of the
state and its policies. In keeping with this overall objective, a
campaign for the increased ideological and political indoctrination of
the public was undertaken in July 1971 that brought about a
reenforcement of party authority over the highest information control
and policymaking bodies in the government (see ch. 7). The former State
Committee for Culture and Art, established with ministerial rank under
the Council of Mini