Abstract
Abstract The East Asia crisis has brought to the fore an issue with which I have been concerned for years: transparency. Amnesty International has long been an effective champion of free speech and a free press, two of the basic human rights. Free speech is both an end in itself—an inalienable right that governments cannot strip away from the citizenry—and a means to other equally fundamental goals. Free speech provides a necessary check on government: a free press not only makes abuses of governmental powers less likely, it also augments the likelihood that basic social needs will be met. Amartya Sen, the winner of the 1999 Nobel Prize in economics, has argued forcefully that famines do not occur in societies in which there is a free press. It is not the lack of food in the aggregate that gives rise to famines, but the lack of access to food by the poor in famine regions. A free press exposes these problems; once exposed, the failure to act is absolutely intolerable.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
