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Freedom of the Press

Freedom of the press. Speak on freedom of the press, its basic principles and criteria and its status in major countries.

The topic presented to you today is devoted to the problem of the freedom of the press. In my speech I am to dwell upon the following points:
— Firstly, I am to give the definition of freedom of the press;
— Secondly, I would like to speak about what restricts this freedom nowadays;
— Finally, I am to draw a conclusion expressing my opinion.

By way of introduction I would like to give the definition of freedom of the press. Freedom of the press is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials. While such freedom mostly implies the absence of interference from an overreaching state, its preservation may be sought through constitutional or other legal protections.

Speaking about current state of freedom of the press, I should say that it

is one of the central problems of mass media and of democratic society on the whole. To have a democratic society means to have a viral healthy journalism — objective, honest, incorruptible. At the same time government is not ready to have that kind of democracy, in which press is allowed to tell the truth about everything including government itself. As a result of this controversy democracy and freedom of the press both come under question.

However, not only government restricts journalism. News giants also establish their own codes and rules. In fact, they find it much better business holding their news division to a fierce accounting than giving journalists autonomy in their professional decisions since «right» news is much more profitable. Therefore modern newspapers and TV programs are full of trivial news such as celebrity gossip or numerous scandals, which are high on sensationalism but low on information. As a result, the current state of freedom of the press is questionable.

The situation is the same in the majority of countries; the very idea of freedom of the press seems to remain utopian

until the standards of democratic society are reached. Thus up to this point journalists do not cope with performing their main function of telling credible news.

In conclusion I would like to say that freedom of the press should be properly protected by law in the first place, which will allow no corruption or bias in mass media. Secondly, there should be an organization which responsibility is to check information for its credibility. And finally journalists should be encouraged to tell the truth, their revealing independent reports and investigations should be rewarded by professionals and public.

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