Disclaimer: The author of this article is Cynthia Zoon. She is experiencing difficulties with the website and asked me to upload it on my account on her behalf.
Topic: What are the limits of free press?
Free To Pretend
Free press is a wonderful concept. It is celebrated and defended, and in some cases yearned for, on a daily basis. Countries where free press is viewed as a quotidian part of life castigate countries where journalists are prosecuted and propaganda is spread. It gives journalists the opportunity to inform citizens without government interference. It gives people a vehicle to express thoughts and opinions, or to release facts, without breaking the law. Free press should be honored and appreciated, it should never be taken advantage of.
The problem with distinguishing what it means to honor free press is that the definition of free press is ambiguous. There are myriad blogs and magazines dedicated to thought-provoking viewpoints on any given topic. In this situation, free press protects the opinions and creativity of an individual or organization. It is a constituent to freedom of speech. Released material can be viewed as offensive to other individuals or organizations, ergo some argue this is where the limits of free press are reached. However, with people having independent notions about life, anything can be considered offensive by someone else.
When it comes to news outlets, free press has, or should have, a different meaning. It is the responsibility of a news organization to offer information about current events. Adding fabrications or omitting key facts defies the purpose of informing citizens. When choosing to do so regardless, the right of free press is used to justify spreading incomplete or even incorrect information. On one hand a news report should never be subjective, although on the other hand networks and other organizations should be allowed to create an identity. This identity is what draws in their audience. Nevertheless, choosing parts of a truth to share, withhold or twist borders on disrespectful. The audience might not even realize they are, essentially, being lied to.
The interpretation of free press, and its limits, greatly depend on the situation. A satirical website serves a different purpose than a news network. While opinionated pieces can be perceived as offensive, no one would ever be able to share their beliefs if they couldn’t because it might offend someone. When it comes to news organizations, the limits of free press are easier to determine. Free press is supposed to protect citizens from government propaganda, not to give news outlets an instrument to release subjective, partial truths and portray them as factual news coverage.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.