Fruits of Glasnost

For the past two years Soviet newspapers and magazines have used the unexpected freedom made available by glasnost. Once, editors had to clear all questionable material with the censors; now, if they ask, they are told to decide for themselves. The censor who regularly used to sit in on editorial meetings is not to be seen; the “index” of taboo subjects has shrunk drastically. Even old time-servers like Aleksandr Chakovsky, member of the party’s Central Committee and the Wri...