Freedom of the Press Term Paper

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document

Total Length: 1111 words ( 4 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 1+

Page 1 of 4

Freedom of the press is a cornerstone of democratic societies. The phrase "freedom of the press" means that television, radio and other media can report the news without interference from the government. In addition it includes freedom of speech, or the rights of individuals to express their opinions without fear that the government will harass or arrest them for what they have said. Freedom of the press is an important part of the Universal Declaration of Human rights put forth by the United Nations (Wikipedia, 2005). It includes the entire process of producing news from gathering to writing, publishing, and distribution (Fink, 2002).

Freedom House, an organization dedicated to the monitoring of freedom of the press around the world, tracks which countries have the most effective rights supporting freedom of the press as well as those countries where rights have been eroded, and those countries where freedom of the press does not exist. Their standards are high and recently listed the United States as a country where rights to freedom of the press have eroded after journalist was jailed recently for not revealing sources (Goldfarb, 2005). They also noted recent setbacks in Pakistan, Kenya, Mexico and Venezuela (Goldfarb, 2005). Of particular concern in the United States was the case of Judith Miller. On July 6 of this year, She was put in jail after she refused to tell a grand jury the source of her information regarding who had revealed the name of a Central Intelligence Officer (Staff writers, 1999).

Overall, Freedom House looked at freedom of the press in 194 countries. They concluded that only 39% of the countries in the world, most in Western Europe, had full freedom of the press.

Stuck Writing Your "Freedom of the Press" Term Paper?

View All Our Example Freedom of the Press Term Paper

Have A Custom Example Essay Written

They judged 26% of countries as partly free, and 35% -- more than one-third of all countries in the world -- were rated "not free" (Goldfarb, 2005). Other sources confirmed Freedom House's perception that freedom of the press can fluctuate over time, noting that Thailand and Japan recently passed laws aimed at making government records more available to those countries' citizens (Padman, 2000). The New Strait Times (2000) compared that progress to the countries of Myanmar, North Korea, Vietnam, Laos and China, where journalist have been jailed, tortured or murdered and labeled "political dissidents." In addition, many country governments exert control over the press by controlling who can own radio and television stations.

Freedom House (2005) listed five countries as lacking freedom of the press: Myanmar, Cuba, Libya, North Korea, and Turkmenistan. They reported that residents of those countries have limited access to outside sources for news and that the press is restricted to reporting what the government allows it to report (Goldfarb, 2005). Other sources highlighted struggles with freedom of the press in newly democratized countries. They cited an example in Russia, when armed officials seized the offices of Russia's largest media company, Media Most (Gessin, 2000).

Australia did not receive any special attention in most sources, but has a long history of champion freedom of the press dating back to 1824 when William Charles Wentworth and Robert Wardell brought a printing press to Australia. In their first editorial they stated, "A free press is the most legitimate, and, at the same time, the most powerful weapon that can be employed to annihilate influence, frustrate the designs of.....

Show More ⇣

     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


Related Essays

A Strong and Clear Boundary Between Church And State

concerning an initiation of a federal or state religion, hindering the freedom of speech, right to assemble peaceably and the freedom of the press. US is deemed to be a religious country and all religions should be granted the chance they deserve (Curry, 1987). Despite the fact that citizens are given some freedom, they are not permitted to infringe onto the freedom and rights of other people. This case applies to religions. The law is believed to serve everyone equally and their freedom is expected to surpass the law. In connection to the above, there is no just cause as to why religion should precede the law. This is applied… Continue Reading...

sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Freedom Of The Press" (2005, September 05) Retrieved June 4, 2026, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/freedom-press-67759

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"Freedom Of The Press" 05 September 2005. Web.4 June. 2026. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/freedom-press-67759>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"Freedom Of The Press", 05 September 2005, Accessed.4 June. 2026,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/freedom-press-67759
   

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document
order custom essay example