COMM 1500 

FALL 2018 
 
 
FREEDOM OF THE PRESS 
 
Final Paper 
By Sonia Arias 
 
Introduction 
 
A growing “climate of hatred” permeates the 2018 Freedom House report, in which 
the United States dropped two places. The 2018 report on freedom of the press 
shows an increase in feelings of hatred towards journalists. This hostility, they 
explain, is encouraged in most cases by political leaders - the most notorious 
example, that of US President Donald Trump, who has come to describe the press 
as "the enemy of the people" - and by the desire of the authoritarian regimes to 
export their vision of journalism. In general, the press is no longer seen as one of 
the fundamental pillars of democracy, but as an adversary to beat. (Freedom 
House, 2018) 
 
This trend is something to be worry about. Another report of Freedom House on 
the same issue confirms this. According to the organization, only 13% of the world's 
population enjoys freedom of the press. 
 
What is freedom of the press?  
 
“For most of our nation’s history, citizens have counted on journalism to monitor 
abuses in government and business.” (Campbell, Martin, Fabos, 2017) 
 
Freedom of the press is the right the media has to investigate and report without 
any limitations or coercion, such as censorship or harassment. In this sense, 
freedom of the press is a constitutional right, based on freedom of expression, 
typical of societies with democratic political systems.  
 
What is freedom of expression? 
 
According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, freedom of expression is:   
 
“The right of every individual to hold opinions without interference and to seek, 
receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of 
frontiers.” (Freedom House, 2018) 
 
Therefore, we say that ​freedom of the press and freedom of expression are related, 
because it is necessary that the latter is protected in order for the former to be 
effective.  
 
What does the Constitution say about freedom of the press? 
 
“The First Amendment guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, 
assembly, and the right to petition. It forbids Congress from both promoting one 
religion over others and also restricting an individual’s religious practices. It 
guarantees freedom of expression by prohibiting Congress from restricting the 
press or the rights of individuals to speak freely. It also guarantees the right of 
citizens to assemble peaceably and to petition their government.” (​U. S. 
Constitution) 
 
In practice, however, this fundamental human right is “frequently restricted 
through tactics that include censorship, restrictive press legislation, and 
harassment of journalists, bloggers and others who voice their opinions, as well as 
crackdowns on religious minorities and other suppression of religious freedom.” 
(Freedom House, 2018).  
 
Why is freedom of the press important? 
 
Freedom of the press is fundamental in democratic systems, because it allows 
citizens to form opinions and criteria in relation to the reality in which they live. For 
this reason, independent media is very important to protect democracy in a 
country.  
 
Also, freedom of the press allows citizens the possibility of organizing themselves 
and creating media independent from government power, in which they have the 
right to express themselves freely and without censorship.  
 
Freedom of press in US under threat 
 
President Trump's attacks on the media (through his Twitter account and at press 
conferences) are aggravating an already hostile environment for journalists in the 
United States. By openly and aggressively accusing journalists and media of lying 
and producing 'fake news', the current US administration runs the risk of 
undermining the First Amendment and creating a culture of intimidation and 
hostility in which journalists are less secure. 
 
Among other major threats to freedom of the press in the United States are: 
 

● “A failure by law enforcement officials to recognize the rights of journalists to 

report freely on events of public interest. Journalists have been arrested and 
even assaulted by law enforcement officials at a local and state level, while 
covering protests. 
● An increase in border stop and searches. Journalists have been asked to 
hand over electronic devices, detained or even denied entry to the US. 
● A slow and unresponsive freedom of information system, which is preventing 
the release of information that is in the public interest.” (Reporters without 
borders, 2018) 

Our role as citizens 

The mid to late 1960s saw an “explosion of alternative newspapers. Labeled the 
underground press at the time, these papers questioned mainstream political 
policies and conventional values, often voicing radical opinions.” ​(Campbell, Martin, 
Fabos, 2017)  

Nowadays, we have groups like “Freedom House” or “Reporters without borders” 

engaging in a multi-faceted “Freedom of Expression Campaign” to defend our right 
to freedom of the press (and speech). Unfortunately, they aren’t receiving the 
support they need in order to win this battle. 

Society is not sufficiently aware of the importance of freedom of the press. We have 
to understand that when we hear about these issues (attacks on journalists, climate 
of hatred, censorship) we are not hearing about “corporate issues” or something 
that has little to nothing to do with us. We are hearing about something that 
directly affect us, and will affect our future as a nation. There is no possibility of a 
democratic country, and a democratic system, without freedom of the press.  

As Americans, we take great pride in our press freedom. But in reality, that freedom 
is under attack.  

“Americans should feel incredibly lucky to have the First Amendment enshrined in 
the nation’s Constitution. Hardly any other countries in the world have such a 
clause. Now it’s up to all of us to continue to appreciate this freedom and demand 
that it remains protected.” (D’Arcy, 2018) 

 
 
REFERENCES 
 
U. S. Constitution, Amendment 1 
 
Media freedom in US under threat, report finds. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2018, 
from https://www.ifex.org/united_states/2018/05/03/media-freedom/ 
 
Campbell, R., Martin, C. R., & Fabos, B. (2017). Media & culture: Mass 
communication in a digital age. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, Macmillan Learning. 
 
Freedom of Expression. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2018, from 
https://freedomhouse.org/issues/freedom-expression 
 
D'Arcy, P. (2018, August 17). Why freedom of the press is more important now than 
ever. Retrieved 2018, from 
https://ideas.ted.com/why-freedom-of-the-press-is-more-important-now-than-ever/