We explain what freedom of the press is, why it is one of the Human Rights and in which countries it is threatened today.
What is freedom of the press?
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is a legal and social principle linked to the fundamental human right to free opinion (that is, freedom of expression).
postulate that States and other powers should not interfere in the free expression of thought through the media (such as the written and audiovisual press). That is, there should be no prior censorship or persecution of any kind as a product of the free expression of ideas.
Freedom of the press is a fundamental right of utmost importance for democratic societies, since allows free opinion and research on issues of public interest that may well be contrary to the political power exercised by the government, or by the powerful sectors of society, by being influential in public opinion, in which the sovereignty of the vote resides.
This right It was first enshrined in Sweden, in 1766, through a Freedom of the Press Law and it is also in the United States Constitution, protected by the first amendment made in 1791. In addition, freedom of the press is addressed in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which reads:
«Every individual has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; This right includes the right not to be disturbed because of one's opinions, to seek and receive information and opinions, and to disseminate them, regardless of frontiers, through any means of expression.
However, as with many other rights, freedom of the press does not exempt the media from exercising their profession responsibly nor does it protect them in the event of committing crimes such as defamation, or engaging in unethical conduct. Hence, the field of press freedom is always one of continuous tensions between free expression and informative responsibility.
In the same way, freedom of the press It is not defended equally in all nations of the world. Global indices by non-governmental institutions such as Reporters Without Borders, Freedom House or the Committee to Protect Journalists, are prepared annually to report on the state of media freedom in different regions of the world.
According to the 2020 Reporters Without Borders report, the countries that offer the worst outlook for the free exercise of the press, classified as “Very difficult situation”, are the following (the greater the number, the worse the situation):
- 180 – North Korea
- 179 – Turkmenistan
- 178 – Eritrea
- 177 – China
- 176 – Djibouti
- 175 – Vietnam
- 174 – Syria
- 173 – Iran
- 172 – Laos
- 171 – Cuba
- 170 – Saudi Arabia
- 169 – Bahrain
- 168 – Azerbaijan
- 167 – Yemen
- 166 – Egypt
- 165 – Equatorial Guinea
- 164 – Libya
- 163 – Somalia
- 162 – Iraq
- 161 – Tajikistan
- 160 – Burundi
- 159 – Sudan
- 158 – Singapore
Continue with: Freedom of association
References
- “Freedom of the press” on Wikipedia.
- “Freedom of the press in the media” in Unesco.
- “Freedom of the press and responsibility of the media” in the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights of Argentina.
- “Freedom of the Press” on History.com.
- “Media freedom” in The Encyclopaedia Britannica.
