Press Freedom and Globalisation - International Press Institute

Press Freedom and Globalisation
laws. Those instruments may incite or obstruct a country’s mass media due to political
preferences, and decide the scope of media’s role in that society. Another aspect is
news gathering. That is about the media’s right to access information, and exceptions, the
media’s criminal and administrative liability, relations with and protection of confidential
sources as well as selection systems in licensing of journalists. The next aspect is about
content-based regulations which cover the media’s right to publish and to decide over its
own content. That right is not absolute. Different kinds of protections are established to
protect other interests such as the state’s collective concerns as well as other private and
individual interests. Many competing freedoms in this area have to be regulated even in a
liberal society. Finally, an aspect is about protection of journalistic activity. It may include
‘internal press freedom’ which means arrangements that control the relations between
media owners and their editorial staff. Towards authorities it is whether journalistic
activities are offered privileges which function as protection, or opposite; harassment of
journalists. 19
More than 100 international non-governmental (NGO) or inter-governmental org-
anisations (IGO) are involved in evaluating or promoting press freedom. Considered as
agents, those organisations constitute a press freedom movement. Altogether, those
provide numerous definitions and angles to understand, consider or evaluate press
freedom. Among those with great impact is International Press Institute where members
are among the senior executives in the world’s leading news media. IPI, based in Vienna,
constitute an influential network well involved with the United Nations and UNESCO.
IPI’s annually report World Press Freedom Review monitors press freedom worldwide by
qualitative methods. Another important press freedom NGO is Freedom House, based in
Washington, which through detailed legal, political and economic criteria measures press
freedom in each country on a scale from 0 (best) to 100 (worst). A similar ranking is made
19 Ibid., pp. 187-205.
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