Background -- Chapter 3, Civic Education Volume

Individual Freedoms:
Freedom of the Press

By Fredricka L. Stoller

The theme of individual freedoms is extremely broad; it can accommodate animated discussions on the freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, freedom of conscience, and the all-encompassing freedom of expression. This chapter concentrates on select issues related to freedom of the press. While exploring the reliability, truthfulness, and biases of television, radio, news magazines, and the Internet (to name a few news sources), students will not only develop an understanding of some of the issues related to freedom of the press, but they will also improve their language abilities. Teachers can use the proposed lesson by itself or design a series of connected lessons that explore freedom of the press in more detail. An even more elaborate thematic unit could be developed and extended over a longer period of time. The lesson plan ideas presented here are meant to serve as a starting point for teachers interested in exploring the theme of individual freedoms, in particular freedom of the press, with their students.

Background Information

It has been said that the 21st century will usher in the Information Age, a time when technologies will give people easy and rapid access to information of all kinds. With every year, new (and old) technologies bring the promise of greater information exchange. In addition, increasing numbers of people around the world have access to television, radios, computers, the Internet, and information that reaches them via satellites and cables.

At the same time, the Information Age brings with it numerous challenges. The Information Age raises new issues about media responsibility, honest journalism, the rights of the public to be informed, and the impact of information access on civic life. The Information Age also provokes questions about the truthfulness, reliability, and biases of news coverage. In addition, it focuses attention on the freedom to give and receive information, which the Universal Declaration of Human Rights declares a basic human right.

This chapter of the Civic Education volume focuses on select issues related to one individual freedom, specifically freedom of the press. Freedom of the press is often defined as the freedom to (a) write or report what one wants, (b) express one’s opinion, (c) explore new ideas, (d) share different points of view, and (e) criticize or support people and ideas. Yet, freedom of the press does not simply give individuals the ability to report whatever they please, it also grants individuals the power to choose what to report, what not to report, and the extent, tone, and manner of reporting.

Proponents of freedom of the press cite numerous benefits including the following:

It promotes individual growth and human dignity; the right to express one’s ideas and communicate with others contributes to one’s growth as a person. The right to consider other people’s views and opinions also contributes to individual growth.
It is important for the advancement of knowledge; new and improved ideas are likely to be developed in societies that allow free discussion, debate, and the consideration of multiple perspectives.
It is a necessary component of representative governments; freedom of the press is crucial in both determining policy and checking how well governments carry out their responsibilities.
It facilitates peaceful social change; the right to express oneself freely provides an outlet for individuals trying to influence public opinion by persuasion rather than violence.
It is essential for the protection of all individual rights; the ability to express oneself allows people to speak out against the violation of one’s rights by others or by the government.

The challenges related to freedom of the press, however, are many. When contemplating freedom of the press, one must consider if and when limits and restrictions are advisable. Should freedom of the press be absolute? Should freedom of the press be limited to protect individual privacy, people’s reputations, and national security? Should journalists be allowed to report lies? What should be reported when there is limited space, for example, in a newspaper or limited time, like on a television news broadcast? These provocative questions do not have any straightforward answers. Nonetheless, consideration of questions such as these and discussions of related issues are critical for those of us entering the Information Age.

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