Press Freedom and Globalisation - International Press Institute

Press Freedom and Globalisation
persistent individuals. These forces supposedly check the authorities, whether
governments, private institutions, organisations and powerful individuals. Forces within
the private corporate sector and the civil society have to be subjected to the same critical
attention by media as government. 55
Even within liberal philosophy, press freedom will come into conflict with other
freedoms and values. These may, for instance, be need for secrecy; individual, institutional
and national interests; and different ways to consider responsibility. 56 Therefore, press
freedom has to be balanced with other freedoms or concerns. Such a ranking of press
freedom against other concerns is what the whole process about implementing of press
freedom is about.
Freedom of expression, including freedom of the press, grew up together with ideas
of the Enlightenment. 57 As a universal principle it found its way into the Human Rights
Declaration by the United Nations at 1948. 58 Article 19 states that: “Everyone has the right
to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without
interference and to seek, receive and import information and ideas through any media and
regardless of frontiers.” 59 However, due to the great degree of differences in traditions and
politics around the world, the power of the Human Rights article 19 is limited. Hence, the
European Convention on Human Rights article 10 – with similar content – makes a
55
Stiglitz, “Transparency in Government”, p. 40; and Dyck, Alexander and Zingales, Luigi, “The Corporate
Governance Role of the Media” in World Bank, The Right To Tell : The Role of Mass Media in Economic
Development (Washington: The World Bank/WBI Development Studies, 2002), 107-111; and
Transparency International – Kenya, Lesson From the Fight Against Corruption (Nairobi: Transparency
International – Kenya, 2001), pp. 12-13.
56
Miller, William L. “Introduction: Alternative values” in Miller, William L. (ed.), Alternatives to Freedom :
arguments and opinions (New York: Longman, 1995), pp. 1-17.
57
Altschull, From Milton to McLuhan, pp. 101-102; and Eide, Martin, Den redigerende makt :
Redaktørrollens norske historie (Kristiansand, Norway: IJ-forlaget, 2000), p. 115.
58
United Nations, Basic Facts About the United Nations (New York: United Nations, 2000), pp. 216-217.
59
World Press Freedom Committee: “Fundamentals”, http://www.wpfc.org/index.jsp?page=Fundamentals ,
downloaded 28 th March, 2005. WPFC’s homepage: http://www.wpfc.org/
33