Wicklein Fears Effects Of Media Modernization

"All modes of communication that man devised are coming together in one computerized system," John Wicklein, Boston University professor of Journalism and Broadcasting, said yesterday.

Addressing an audience of about 40 at the Cambridge Forum, Wicklein warned that without proper safeguards the use of the news media could lead to both censorship and invasion of privacy.

Wicklein described technological advances in broadcasting around the world, including the two-way Qube system in Columbus, Ohio; the British Pentel system, which uses telephone lines to connect home television sets to data banks; and communications satellites.

He expects to see all these systems in widespread use within his lifetime.

"I believe that they can lead to a diversity of ideas, help us to make informed choices, and seduce us into public awareness," Wicklein said.

"But, improperly employed, they can censor what we need to know, and intrude into our personal lives."

Wicklein warned against censorship by the government as well as by private corporations.

He called the Federal Communication Commission's present control of broadcasting, including the fairness, equal access and "seven dirty words" rules, a threat to the First Amendment which would be "anathema to newspapers."

Qube, developed by Warner Communications, allows viewers to "talk back" to their cable TV sets with electronic keypads. It can be used for ordering merchandise, for sampling viewer opinions, for financial transactions, and for monitoring program viewing patterns.

The way to prevent these abuses, Wicklein said, is to separate control of technology from control of content.

Through a Qube system, a computer, according to Wicklein, can know "your political views, your consuming habits, your indebtedness, even how often you view porno movies" and sell this information to "anyone in the world who can pay."