Press Freedom and Globalisation - International Press Institute

Press Freedom and Globalisation
report cover the years from late 1940s to 2003: IPI – The First Ten Years, IPI: The
Undivided Word : A History of The International Press Institute : Part I: 1951-1976; IPI:
The Defence of Press Freedom : A History of The International Press Institute : Part II:
1976-1988; 10 Years IPI Headquarters in Vienna (covers 1993-2002); and IPI Report 2003
: World Press Freedom Review.
Further, books about Scandinavian or Norwegian concept of press freedom can be
represented by Den redigerende makt : Redaktørrollens norske historie (in English: The
editing power : History of the Editor’s Role in Norway) written by Martin Eide. This is a
history book on how the editor’s role as an institution developed in Norway. The book
looks at the editor as a defender of press freedom, and discusses various threats to such a
free and powerful role. Numerous references to Sweden and Denmark make the book ade-
quate as a source for press freedom in Scandinavia. A weakness of this book is the impres-
sion that the editor’s freedom is limited to freedom from government control, the owners’
interference in editorial affairs, and some other forces which want to control the news. It
does not discuss the possibility of being puppet of global cultural or ideological interests.
Another Scandinavian contribution is Kyrre Eggen’s Ytringsfrihet (in English:
Freedom of Expression). The book covers almost every question about the right of free
speech included debates where freedom of expression is in conflict with other interests.
This book too, has many references to Scandinavia as well as practices of free speech in a
European legal context. However, the philosophical basis for such a democratic freedom in
itself is not discussed very much. The author’s reason for that choice is that it is a book
based on law, not the history of ideas.
A global aspect from Scandinavia is given by the book Utviklingshjelp, utenriks-
politikk og makt (in English: Development Aid, Foreign Politics, and Power) written by
Terje Tvedt. The book is a result of a subproject in a Norwegian study of power and demo-
cracy. One of his descriptions is how mass media as an actor is included in the Norwegian
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