Arts Award Unit 1D David Naylor

A free press can be defined as a press not restricted or controlled

What is a free press?

by government censorship regarding politics or ideology. The UK government is allowed to stop confidential data from being published if they feel the data may damage national interests. Some places in the world, such as North Korea, are closed to foreign journalists. The birth of new technologies, such as satellite TV has made controlling the press harder as stations are now able to broadcast worldwide (e.g. Al Jazeera), giving them bigger platforms to put forward their opinions. Scandinavian governments put the least amount of restrictions on their countrys presses. It is estimated that around 17 journalists have been killed worldwide so far this year.

My Opinion.....
I think having a free press is right.

Why could it be seen as right?

A free press ensures that governments can be made accountable for decisions.
Events such as the expenses scandal (where some MPs took unfair benefits) show that the press (sometimes) can be a useful vehicle for justice. The 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 impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers. A free press helps to uphold this human right. There are some rules that help to limit what people say in the free press, for example if you use the free press to spread lies you can be given a criminal record, e.g. be charged with slander and libel. Some celebrities sue people when they feel they have lied in the press about them to protect their reputations.

Nazi Germany
The situation in Hitlers Germany gave a glimpse as to what a

censored press can lead to. The German public were effectively stopped from having a big enough voice to do something about the dictatorship they were under. Those kind of events are unlikely to happen again however they show what can happen when censorship gets out of hand.

Why might a free press be wrong?

The press can create hate campaigns that may be unfair and possibly harmful,

although the press can help raise the profile of worthwhile campaigns. Some press organisations can also use inappropriate methods to gain information for stories. Some people have argued that stories can be exaggerated and that the press can ignore facts in order to sell more papers etc. It has been argued that some journalists are too in your face and can be insensitive, e.g. Harass you outside of your home with a camera crew. Social Networks , such as Facebook, can often be used to spread hate etc and allow some stories to go viral very quickly.

The Leveson Enquiry The phone hacking scandal was an example of when certain
sections of the press can go too far in order to get a story. Some journalists working for the News of The World and other papers hacked into celebrities/newsworthy peoples phones in order to gain information. The government then set up the Leveson Enquiry (led by Lord Justice Leveson) to investigate the behaviour of the press, although it is unlikely that the press will be censored heavily as this will upset the public and the huge worldwide press organisations that will have a lot of economic influence in governments. I think that the press need to be regulated to a certain extent to help prevent inappropriate behaviour (such as hacking into the phones of killed soldiers families) although the current economic climate in the UK and elsewhere means journalists often go to great lengths to produce desirable stories as they may save their jobs or lead to promotions.

Quotes
Oliver Guy (Illustrious photographer): I think having a free

press is right. "A free press is not a privilege but a necessity in a great society" Walter Lippmann : American journalist (1889-1974). One of the shrewdest ways for human predators to conquer their stronger victims is to steadily convince them with propaganda that they're still free N.A. Scott, who was an American author and anti-totalitarian figure (someone who is against dictatorships). He is basically saying that governments can claim that they are offering a free press when in fact the governments may be forcing their opinions on the public through the free press.

Any Questions?