Like Freedom of Speech, the Freedom of the Press is one of the building bricks in a healthy democracy.
Citizens should have access to news and other information from different providers presenting a multitude of angles and opinions. Investigative reporters should be able to, in a professional way, hold people of power to account. But freedoms also come with responsibility.
There are examples when journalists have gone too far and been accused of invading people’s private sphere. There are other examples when journalists have been proved to report blatant lies. And again, more examples of journalists publishing controversial opinions which are contrary to Editor’s Code of Practice.
To counter these tendencies, voices are being raised to legislate the freedom of press and set clear boundaries to what can and can’t be done. During 2020, the UK government tried to control the news reporting by only briefing journalists they trusted to report favourably. These measures have been criticised to be hindering investigative journalism and for the Government to avoid scrutiny.
Since 2018 the Arts & Humanities Research Council runs a project called Defining the Freedom of the Press. Read more about their findings.
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