10 Freedom of the Press Violation Facts - WMNews Ep. 40

10 Freedom of the Press Violation Facts - WMNews Ep. 40

#10: What Is Freedom of the Press?
The History

Also known as ‘Freedom of the Media’, ‘Freedom of the Press’ refers to the levels of liberty and autonomy experienced when a person is communicating through various types of written, visual and electronic media. It’s the ability to write and publish materials, in order to share them in the public domain. However, it should not be confused with an author’s ‘right to be published’. No publisher is legally bound to accept any author’s work, although, theoretically, any author is able to self-publish their own materials. American journalist A. J. Liebling summarized the matter, writing, “Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one.”

#9: What Is Freedom of Speech?
The Right

The concept upon which the ‘Freedom of the Press’ idea is built, ‘freedom of speech and expression’ is recognized as a basic human right under article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, created in 1948. Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, the Declaration states that everyone shall have the right ‘to hold opinions without interference’, and grants everyone the ‘freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas’ of all kinds... either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media. Similarly to ‘Freedom of the Press’, ‘Freedom of Speech’, and how it is implemented, differs from country to country. Governments limit the freedom with legislation, branding what one person might view as his or her right as anything from slander to hate speech, copyright violation or pornography.

#8: Does Freedom of the Press Exist Everywhere?
The Suppression

A concept that differs from nation to nation, the freedoms (or restrictions) of the press coincide with relevant state law, meaning that the rules are different depending on where you are in the world. Freedom levels are routinely analyzed by non-governmental organizations such as ‘Reporters Without Borders’ and ‘Freedom House’ - who aim to accurately represent press freedom in an ironically uncensored way. European countries continually top research polls on the matter, with Finland topping the Press Freedom Index from 2009 until 2014. In contrast, Eritrea ranked last in 2014 with North Korea finishing one place above.

#7: How Is Freedom of the Press Handled in the USA?
The Amendment

The United States ranked forty-sixth in the 2014 Press Freedom Index - one place above Haiti and below Romania. In general, the United States and most westernized countries are seen as relatively free lands, in which the press is largely unlimited. ‘Freedom of the Press’ in the USA is mostly defined within the First Amendment of the Constitution, where it is written; ‘Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press’. An amendment that’s largely upheld, the USA still shoulders a degree of criticism because of its tendency to place undue limits on reporting and publishing in the name of national security.

#6: How Has Modern Technology Changed the Concept?
The System

As modern media and access expands, the ‘Freedom of the Press’ concept and definition has naturally changed as well. Where once the ability to express oneself and become published was enjoyed by a limited number of professionals, now in the 21st century, almost anybody with a computer and Internet access is able to get their voice heard. However, the rise of the blogger, vlogger and online personality has seen ever increasing difficulties with the policing of the press, especially within those countries that hold a tighter grip. In America, as of the January 2014 ruling on Obsidian Finance Group, LLC v. Cox, bloggers enjoy the same First Amendment protections as traditional news media journalists. However, international inconsistencies remain.

#5: What Is WikiLeaks?
The News Leaks

An international, non-profit organization built to publish secret and classified information from anonymous sources; WikiLeaks has been the subject of controversy ever since its launch in 2006. Responsible for the release of the ‘Afghan War Diary’, which compiled almost 77 thousand previously unseen documents relating to the war, as well as the separate publication of over 775 secret files relating to the prisoners of Guantanamo Bay, WikiLeaks works to make the unknown known to the general public. The site’s co-founder and editor in chief, Julian Assange, has been under investigation in the US since 2010, and is currently housed at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. However, though physically confined, Assange has influenced many a controversial blogger since - with the repercussions of some publications reaching unprecedented levels of severity.

#4: Has There Been Retribution Against Journalists and Bloggers?
The Attacks

All around the world, journalists, and bloggers in particular, have become targets for revenge-style attacks and/or criminal charges. With ‘Freedom of Speech’ and ‘Freedom of the Press’ comes an almost unavoidable ability to offend, which has resulted in countless instances of retribution, carried out both legally and illegally. Case in point: on Friday, August 7th, 2015, a Thai man was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment for insulting the Thai monarchy via Facebook. King Bhumibol Adulyadej is under the protection of some especially harsh royal defamation rules, which came into full force following Pongsak Sriboonpeng’s six anti-monarchy posts on the social media website. Receiving ten years imprisonment for each post and having his sentence halved because he pleaded guilty, forty-eight year old Pongsak will spend the majority of the rest of his life behind bars.

#3: Has There Been Retribution Against Journalists and Bloggers? Part II
The Attacks, Part II

Another instance, again on Friday, August 7th, saw a Bangladeshi blogger murdered following his publishing of anti-religious extremist views online. Niloy Chatterjee, who was forty years old, became the fourth online critic to be murdered in the country in 2015. After he was killed in his apartment in the capital of Dhaka, a group of militant attackers armed with machetes are being held responsible. Attacks such as these have risen within recent years, in parallel with the rise of blogging in the country. Secularist writers have built an Internet base from which to tackle the hardline Islamist groups that are threatening to take over Bangladesh, but contributing to the cause is becoming increasingly risky. Chatterjee had been demanding justice for other bloggers recently killed, only to have his name added to the frightening list.

#2: Has There Been Retribution Against Journalists and Bloggers? Part III
The Attacks, Part III

Finally, human rights campaigners fear for the wellbeing of one Saudi Arabian blogger in particular, as he awaits a second dose of an ongoing punishment. Raif Badawi is currently serving a ten-year prison sentence, given to him in May 2014, and as of August 2015, he was awaiting his next installment of public flogging as well. Badawi was subjected to the first 50 of his 1000 lashes in January 2015, meaning that he had nineteen sets to endure thereafter. An especially brutal example of government-enforced retribution, Badawi’s fate is not unusual in Saudi Arabia - and the country itself has reacted with anger to the ‘media campaign’ surrounding the case.

#1: What Is the Future of Freedom of the Press?
The Outcome

The issue of ‘Freedom of the Press’ is likely to remain a balancing act indefinitely, as the necessities for privacy, cultural sensitivity, freedom of speech and freedom of thought must all be met. A seemingly impossible task, especially on an international scale, it’s clear that laws and mindsets must at least be modified (if not, in some cases, changed altogether), in order for progress to be made. A. J. Liebling said, ‘Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one’, but the realities of that statement have changed since the statement was made in the mid-twentieth century. The Internet has enabled an ever-increasing number of people to ‘own’ a press, so it’s easier now than ever before to exercise free speech on a global scale. For all the positives that brings, there are severe negatives that need to be considered as well.

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