Press Freedom and Globalisation - International Press Institute

Press Freedom and Globalisation
News and the Convention on the International Right of Correction. 80 In this way the United
Nations played a leading role in formulating and implementing an international regime on
press freedom. On this basis even strong regional regimes, such as the European Con-
vention on Human Rights, are constituted. 81
The United Nations is influenced heavily by the United States. The philosophy of
the Enlightenment had a great impact on American thinking about journalism and press
freedom. 82 In the era of globalisation under the United States’ hegemony, the American
version of these freedom ideals has been spread. Article 19 in the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights upholds similar ideals as those for press freedom in the United States.
In several ways the United States is a chief actor in forming and spreading press
freedom globally. American actors have been substantial donors to campaigns and NGOs
concerning global spread of press freedom. 83 American media practice has influenced
similar development in other countries, for instance regarding the Fourth Estate role and
commercialisation. Notions of the press as the Fourth Estate in its role as watchdog
emerged first in the United States. The mainstream American view has regarded an
independent press to be in an adversarial role to government, 84 that is widely accepted as
the model which serves democracies best. 85
Americans have also spearheaded commercialisation of media. In the United States
the view has been that only a market-based press can be independent and play a
democratically legitimate role. 86 Recent debates on American media claim that ideals such
80 Ahuja, Theory and Practice of Journalism, pp. 179-184.
81 Herbert, Practising Global Journalism, pp. 68-71; and Carver, Richard, Coliver, Sandra, Lauriciano, Gil,
Lush, David and Maja-Pearce, Adewale, Who Rules the Airwaves : Broadcasting in Africa (London:
Article 19 and Index on Censorship, 1995), pp. 23-27.
82 Altschull, From Milton to McLuhan, pp. 31-64.
83 Righter, IPI: The Undivided Word, pp. 29, 107, 111, 147 and 162 points out Ford Foundation, Rockefeller
Foundation, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and 20 American newspapers, as examples.
84 Patterson, “The United States: News in a Free-Market Society”, pp. 248-251.
85 Islam, “Into the Looking Glass”, pp. 2-5.
86 Herman and McChesney, The Global Media, p. 24.
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