Essay : Freedom of Media
Outlines:1- Introduction.
2- Freedom of media; a fundamental right.
3- Press and Judiciary.
4- Freedom of media and democracy.
5- Importance of freedom of press.
6- Freedom of press and censorship.
7- Conclusion.
Freedom of media is the principle that communication and expression through*various media should be considered a right to be exercised freely. Such freedom implies the absence of interference from an overreaching state; its preservation may be sought through constitutional or other legal protections. Freedom of media is also the belief system that communications to the public through the medium of print, television and internet should be free of, oversight from the government. Different countries have different provisions to guarantee this right .
The United Nations' 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference, and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers".
It is the responsibility of the media to bring forth news and facts that will shape public opinion and allow the citizens of a country to exercise their rights. The judiciary’s role is to protect those rights. Therefore, it becomes clear that in order to function efficiently, both the media and the judiciary must be independent of any outside influences that may attempt to change information or legal decisibns. However, the roles of these two institutions do not end here. The judiciary is also responsible for protecting the freedom of the press. At the same time, the press is responsible for reporting facts and events in a manner that helps the judiciary.
Without freedom of the media, no government can be considered ‘of the people, by the people ancl for the people’. Unfortunately, the past few years have seen increasing curbs,
direct or indirect, on the media and its ability to report These curbs have come in the form of harassment, threats and intimidation and are having increasingly disastrous consequences for the dissemination of unbiased information. Unless this trend is reversed, we may see some of the most powerful democracies in the world collapsing soon.
The media has a responsibility to act 'as check and balance institution for the administration and the government It is the media that raises its voice against social ills, malpractices, corruption and oppression. It is also the press that gathers, verifies and distributes events, facts and information that allow the people of a country'to make sound judgments. However, none of this is possible if the media itself is silenced or if its voice is only allowed when those in power permit
This is not mere speculation. Time and time again, recent history has proven that censorship of the press is one of the most common features of a dictatorship. The censorship may not even be direct or obvious at first A government may often start by discrediting the news media and what is being reported. It may stridently reinforce the notion that the media cannot be trusted by undermining the news and facts that media presents to the public. This is when the media begins to exercise selfcensorship to avoid outrage manufactured by the government.
There can be no doubt that a strong and free media is crucial to the functioning of any state. However,' like any other right, the right to freedom of expression must be exercised with caution because it does more harm than good. Unfortunately, news media depends on ratings to generate revenue. In order to be truly effective, media needs to remember that it has a responsibility to its audience and to society as a whole, to be rational and conscientious in its reporting.
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