Of all the wonders of this technological age, few have arrived more swiftly or wrought more changes than those of communications. Where it once took weeks or months to send a message around the globe, it is now but a matter of seconds. Where television was a rare commodity in American homes only a quarter of a century ago, the ubiquitous tube can now be found in 97 per cent of our households. Thus the production, storage, and distribution of information is certain to be a major source of concern and controversy in the waning years of the 1970's. The "new communications" have long been a concern of Glen O. Robinson. A native of Salt Lake City and magna cum laude graduate of Harvard, Mr. Robinson received his law degree from Stanford, where he ranked second in his class. After practicing law in Washington and serving as a professor of law at the University of Minnesota, he served as a commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission from 1974 to 1976. He is now special advisor in communications for the Aspen Institute, a member of the committee on telecommunications for the National Research Council, and a professor of law at the University of Virginia.

The judges of the 1977 Emily Clark Balch short story contest decided to cite three stories of equal merit from the 1,442 submitted this year.