“I tell you, in my opinion, the
cornerstone of democracy is
free press – that’s the
cornerstone” – Milos Freeman
“When the public’s right to
know is threatened, and when
the rights of free speech and
free press are at risk, all of the
other liberties we hold dear
are endangered” – Christopher
Dodd
“A free press can, of course, be
good or bad, but most certainly
without freedom, the press will
never be anything but bad” –
Albert Camus

In June 2014, three Al
Jazeera journalists were given
seven-year prison sentences on
terrorism related charges. They
were convicted of spreading
false news and collaborating
with the Muslim Brotherhood
after the overthrow of
President Mohammed Morsi in
2013. This case has become a
major controversy for the
Egyptian government and
another dent on the freedom
of expression.
Freedom of the press or
freedom of the media is the
freedom of communication and
expression through mediums
including various electronic
media and published materials.
The United Nations’ 1948
Universal Declaration of Human
Rights states: “Everyone has
the right to freedom of opinion
and expression to hold opinions
without interference, and
impart information and ideas
through any media regardless
of frontiers”.
This current tide involving
many governments clamping
down on freedom of expression
would prevent many
journalists from reporting
objectively on matters. A free
press is very important in
every society. Imagine what
the world would be if one
couldn’t freely report on a
tsunami going on in a
particular nation. How would
individuals planning a vacation
to the country know about the
disaster going on there?
History is filled with cases
of outright abuse of the
freedom of expression, not just
involving journalists but also
ordinary citizens. Anyone
found to oppose the regime is
whisked away to a dungeon
where the individual
languishes forever. Times have
changed and with the advent
of social media, ordinary
citizens have made it easier for
information to be dispensed at
a quicker rate. Anyone that
has access to the internet could
stay anywhere and post any
information and people at
different places get to read
about it. The number of
bloggers who dedicate their
time to doling out timely
information has also improved.
This is a welcome
development but to most
ruthless regimes, this trend
wouldn’t have any place in
their system. Bloggers are
arrested in Ethiopia, Saudi
authorities flog them in the
open, Iran jails social
commentators, the Turkish
government dismisses
journalists who fail to toe their
owners official lines, citizen
journalists are harassed by
Brazilian police for reporting
anti-government protests, and
the list goes on and on.
Sometime last year in Nigeria,
it was alleged that the
governor of a state directed
the police to arrest a citizen
for posting ‘abusive’ comments
(directed at the governor) on
Facebook. What a tragedy!
It is not enough to establish
more laws (in theory)
protecting the freedom of
expression; it is pertinent to
practically apply these laws.
And it seems most regimes all
over the world are getting
wiser. They have perfected
other means of getting the
individuals to censor
themselves rather than making
laws to censor the media
directly. In some countries,
laws that are meant to protect
the national security and
protect citizens from terrorism
are used to prevent individuals
from reporting objectively and
fairly. This causes fear
amongst bloggers, journalists
and individuals and most are
afraid to speak out without
bias. These cruel regimes
wouldn’t arrest people for
posting things online; rather,
the government arrests these
people on spurious charges
such as gun toting and drug
possession. Activities as simple
as organizing a peaceful
protest are deemed offensive
by such regimes. People are
scared to speak freely in these
nations.
According to Herbert Lionel
Matthews, former New York
Times reporter and editorialist,
a censored press has a
demoralizing effect; the
government only hears its own
voice, it knows that it hears its
own voice yet it persists in the
delusion that it hears the voice
of the people and in turn,
demands of the people that
they should persist in this
delusion.
It is important for
individuals, journalists and
media houses to collectively
take a stand on this issue.
Limitations to the freedom of
expression in one country
affect such freedoms
worldwide. If nothing is done,
who knows what the future
holds for us. Without
information, people wouldn’t
know what is going on in a
particular place at a certain
time. People should be free to
share information. It is also
important that while sharing
such information, individuals
(especially social
commentators) should know
the limits to such freedoms
and cease to abuse it. Capisce!