Freedom of speech is one of the fundamental human rights in a democratic state and the surest method for the media to express its position on any issue openly and without fear.
Freedom of speech is a concept that any media wants to operate. This is a position in which the media can convey reliable information to the reader from any sphere of public life - politics, art, sports, social life. Talking about interesting and important events taking place in the city, district, country and the world is not just the desire of the media, but also a direct responsibility, for which they work for the good of society. Otherwise, how can the work of the media be called honest and the news reliable if their facts are distorted? And why then should the media work when newspapers, television, magazines and Internet portals will no longer be able to notify about real events and the situation in the world?
A biased view of events
However, in reality, it turns out that the words about freedom of speech for the most part turn out to be just a beautiful expression. And there are many different reasons for this. Firstly, only a few can objectively assess the events that are taking place and describe them in the same way. A personal attitude is characteristic of both the journalists themselves, describing what is happening, and their news sources. It is difficult not to sympathize with the victims who suffered in an accident, or not to be indignant, seeing the misfortune and grief of other people due to the error of some services or authorities. Meanwhile, evaluativeness and criticism, so often present in journalism, should be presented without reference to the feelings of the author of the news. And the articles and stories themselves should have several points of view on events in order to consider them from different angles and as objectively as possible. But in reality, rarely does anyone engage in such a deep and scrupulous approach to journalism, which often leads to a conflict of different interests and parties.
Power pressure
It is very wrong when material or political gains interfere with journalism. In this case, there can be no talk of any independence and freedom of speech. Politicians and businessmen often have such power that they can easily influence both individual journalists and entire channels and publications, forcing them to convey to the reader and viewer only such a view of events that is important to them. It puts politicians and companies in the right light, but it doesn't tell a fraction of the truth for ordinary people. Events are distorted, viewers or listeners receive inaccurate information, get used to it and change their opinion and picture of the world to the one that was presented to them. The media is practically the only source of information for the common population, and it is newspapers, radio, television, Internet publications that are becoming the main instrument of the authorities in the struggle for influence over their voters.
Prohibition of freedom
There is no freedom in a country where the media are not allowed to express their point of view, criticize the authorities, and have their own position on political, social and economic issues. It is absent not only in the media, but in all spheres of life of such a state. It's just that the restrictions on freedom of speech in the media are immediately visible, while all other violations of the rights and freedoms of citizens may not be noticeable at first glance. The power of pressure on the media shows, on the one hand, the strong authoritarian power of the state, but on the other, it reveals its weakness and fear of its own citizens, of what they can do with this power.
Freedom of speech in the media is a guarantee of freedom of public life throughout the country, an indicator of the interaction of government and journalism at a democratic level, the promise of an honest and open form of government for its citizens. Therefore, freedom of power in the media is so important, because it is an indicator of the level and living conditions of a given society.
