Freedoms in Information and Communication

Every human has a right when it comes to voicing their own opinions and in seeking for information. This is vital in a democracy because it establishes trust between the people and the government. The information and communication related freedoms that we have today are all connected to the freedom of speech. This post will be explaining more about these freedoms.

Freedom of speech:

This is a basic human right. It applies to every living person, no matter what race or gender they may be. It cannot be taken away by anyone at any time. However, it can be restricted -- for example, if someone breaks the law or for national security.

Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without the fear of retaliation or censorship. This allows anyone to voice their opinions towards other people and the government.

Freedom of expression:

This is used interchangeably with the freedom of speech. The only difference, however, is that it is not only limited to verbal speech. It also includes the freedom of any act of seeking, receiving, and imparting information or ideas, no matter what medium is used. These mediums can be verbal, written, electronic, drawn, etc.

Freedom of the press:

Each type of medium, whether it be traditional media or social media, has its own set of rules and ethical codes of conduct. A journalist's code of practice is one example of this. There are differences between various existing codes per institution, but most of them share the same principles. In writing newsworthy information, a journalist must be:

• Truthful
• Accurate
• Objective
• Impartial
• Fair
• Have public accountability

These characteristics are important because they are the ones who provide information to the public.

Journalists have a lot of rules to follow, but that doesn't mean they don't have the freedom to express what they want. This is called the "freedom of the press." This concept means that the media in general -- whether traditional media or new media -- are free from direct censorship or control of the government when it comes to providing information to the public. Certain rules in media culture are practiced regularly, and these practices show the state of freedom that a country currently has.  Because of this, the extent of the freedom of the press varies a lot between countries. Not all are totally free from the government's control.

Sometimes, I think that these freedoms are being abused by people. Having these freedoms doesn't grant you the right to insult anyone and put them down just because your opinion is different from that person. Respect is incredibly important. Insulting someone just because you can doesn't always mean you should.