Freedom of the Press

Introduction to Freedom of the Press

Freedom of the Press, immunity of the communications media-including newspapers, books, magazines, radio, and television-from government control or censorship. Freedom of the press is regarded as fundamental to individual rights. Without free media, a free society and democratic self-government would not be possible. By recognizing the right to dissent, democratic governments encourage peaceful and orderly social and political change.

When the first Congress of the United States met in 1789, its main order of business was the adoption of the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution of the United States. The 1st Amendment provides that “Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech, or the press” (see Speech, Freedom of). Although intended as a guarantee limiting the federal government, its reach was extended by the 14th Amendment (1868) to protect the press from abridgment by the states. In its constitutional sense, the term press has been interpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court to encompass not only newspapers, but also books, magazines, and other printed matter as well as motion pictures. (Other broadcasting media, regulated by the Federal Communications Commission since 1934, are moving toward 1st Amendment parity with the print media.)” (1)

Resources

Notes and References

Information about Freedom of the Press in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia

Guide to Freedom of the Press

Hierarchical Display of Freedom of the press

Law > Rights and freedoms > Political rights > Freedom of communication
Education And Communications > Communications > Communications policy > Control of communications > Censorship
Education And Communications > Communications > Means of communication > Mass media > Press
Education And Communications > Information and information processing > Information policy > Law relating to information