Freedom of speech and press11/22/2023 ![]() ![]() But media often presents opinions as facts under the pretext of free speech which only reinforces stereotypes and prejudice in the society. Since most people are without college degrees and, thus, not sophisticated enough to understand the importance of verifying facts, media should be more objective in its reporting. Studies have shown that there is a negative relationship between education level and levels of prejudice (Long, 2007) which means that education helps us get rid of our prejudices and stereotypes and enable us to become more objective thinkers. Only 29 percent of Americans had at least an undergraduate degree as of 2005 (Yamamoto, 2007) and if this is the situation in U.S., one can only imagine the education levels in developing countries. But even in developed countries like the U.S., the number of people with college degrees is still in a minority. One of the benefits of college education is that it teaches us the difference between an opinion and speech and tells us the importance of verifying facts before believing in their truthfulness. Every right comes with responsibilities and press should also use its right to free speech responsibly. I have taken the position that free press is indeed desirable and should be promoted but there is no such thing as absolute right to free speech. In the U.S., five major media companies help form the public opinion which are Time Warner, VIACOM, Vivendi Universal, Walt Disney, and News Corp (Hubpages). But at the same time, press is also controlled by individuals who may be tempted to pursue their economic benefits and help advance their own personal ideology. It may appear to be a logical position that giving more freedom to press does benefit the society as it gives more voice to the public and monitor government’s conduct. The purpose of this paper is to critically analyze the issue of freedom of the press. But we often have a tendency to go with the flow of the majority opinion which is also called ‘groupthink’. If the press assumes absolute freedom of speech, it may do more harm to the society than good, thus, press should exercise its right to free speech responsibly in order to maximize the overall welfare of the society.įree speech and free press has often been called one of the major characteristics of prosperous and truly democratic societies. ![]() The press should have the right to express its opinions without unnecessary censorship by the government, keep the public informed on local and global issues, expose both negative and positive aspects of the society, and be a voice of the common person but that doesn’t mean the press should have absolute freedom of speech. ![]() But like any other right, freedom of press also comes with obligations. One of the characteristics of developed countries that distinguishes them from developing countries is a greater degree of freedom of speech and freedom of press enjoyed by their citizens. Relation of Global Warming and Extreme Weather Condition ![]()
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