Freedom Of Press Research Articles

Whose media freedom is being defended? Norm contestation in international media freedom campaigns

AbstractThis article analyses how international advocacy campaigns approach and define media freedom, and what influences this process. It does this through a two-year case study of the Media Freedom Coalition—an intergovernmental partnership of over 50 countries—that included 55 interviews with key stakeholders, observations, and document analysis. This revelatory case sheds light on how norms of media freedom are constructed and contested on the international stage, and their implications for journalists, media freedom and geo-politics. We show that the Coalition adopted a state-centric, accountability-focused, and negative understanding of media freedom. This discourse legitimized a narrow, reactive, and “resource-light” approach to supporting media freedom, focused on “other” countries. We argue that critical norm research provides a helpful prism for understanding this Coalition’s operations, and the global politics of media freedom more generally. These findings have important implications for understandings of “norm entrepreneurship,” “media imperialism,” and “media freedom” itself.

Does Freedom Matter for Sustainable Economic Development? New Evidence from Spatial Econometric Analysis

Achieving sustainable economic development is always considered one of the main economic goals of countries. Therefore, researchers are interested in presenting new econometric models for more accurate identification of factors affecting economic growth. The current study evaluates the impact of various aspects of freedom (economic freedom, press freedom, civil freedom, and political rights) and an aggregated freedom index on economic growth in European countries from 2000 to 2019 using spatial panel econometric techniques. In addition, the effects of variables such as FDI, financial development (FD), human capital (HC), and capital stock on economic growth are examined. The findings of this research confirm the existence of spatial autocorrelation in economic growth. The results reveal that civil liberties, economic and press freedom, and aggregated freedom boost economic growth, whereas political rights have no significant effect on economic growth. Furthermore, the econometric model results indicate that FDI, FD, HC, and capital stock are positively and significantly associated with economic growth. This research is expected to provide policymakers with a thorough understanding of how to implement the best policies in European countries to achieve sustainable economic development.

The state of democracy in Africa

Many African states experienced democratic transition following the third wave of democratization that spread across the region in the 1990s. Such democratic states became characterized by multiparty elections, tolerance for opposition tolerance, media freedom, protection of human rights and respect for the rule of law. However, recent trends show that democratic growth has stalled while its gains are short-lived in many states. This is evidenced in the rise in third termism, constitutional coups, military coups and digital authoritarianism that plagues the continent – suggesting a wave of democratic relapse and autocracy. One is therefore poised to ask what the state of democracy in Africa is and what trends and practices have led to a general decline in levels of democracy. To this end, this paper assesses the incidence of democratic recession in Africa by adopting a descriptive and analytical approach that relies on secondary data sourced from peer-reviewed journal articles, reports, briefs and internet sources. It was found that the decline in democratization, otherwise democratic relapse heralds an epoch of democratic instability and entrenched autocracy in the continent. This is not unconnected with the spate of bad governance, violent electoral contestation, digital repression and widespread violation of human rights that is prevalent on the continent. It was therefore recommended that priority be given to good governance, the strengthening of state institutions and tolerance for opposition.

Photographing People in Public and the Protection of Privacy: The Jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights and Some Comparisons with England

This study examines certain aspects of privacy protection, addressing the questions of whether it is possible to consider a person’s image (most often a photograph) as part of their private life and whether the protection of privacy can be claimed in public spaces. A thorough examination of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and English case law reveals that these questions can be answered affirmatively. Certain general principles emerge from this case law, which take into account the freedom to discuss public affairs, namely, the protection of freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Based on an examination of these, it seems that a connection with a matter that qualifies as a public affair justifies the protection of the freedom of the press, meaning that purely tabloid content does not enjoy such protection. This creates widespread protection for freedom of expression and freedom of the press and may also result in numerous frustrated privacy plaintiffs.

Conceptualizing Journalists’ Safety around the Globe

Killings, as the most extreme form of violence against journalists, receive considerable attention, but journalists experience a variety of threats from surveillance to gendered cyber targeting and hate speech, or even the intentional deprivation of their financial basis. This article provides a comprehensive, interdisciplinary framework of journalists’ safety, summarized in a conceptual model. The aim is to advance the study of journalists’ safety and improve safety practices, journalism education, advocacy, and policy making - vital as press freedom and fundamental human rights face multifaceted challenges, compromising journalists’ ability to serve their societies. Journalists’ occupational safety comprises personal (physical, psychological) and infrastructural (digital, financial) dimensions. Safety can be objective and subjective by operating on material and perceptional levels. It is moderated by individual (micro), organizational/institutional (meso), and systemic (macro) risk factors, rooted in power dynamics defining boundaries for journalists’ work, which, if crossed, result in threats and create work-related stress. Stress requires coping, ideally resulting in resilience and resistance, and manifested in journalists’ continued role performance with autonomy. Compromised safety has personal and social consequences as threats might affect role performance and even lead to an exit from the profession, thus also affecting journalism’s wider function as a key institution.

Satire in Putin's Russia: Cynical Distance as a Tool of State Power

For a brief period following the collapse of the Soviet Union, a degree of political freedom existed in Russia that allowed political satire to appear on television. Different oligarchs purchased important television channels and used them to push the Boris Yeltsin government to approve policies favorable to their business interests by polarizing public opinion against the government. The fractious nature of Russian media in the 1990s and the battles for influence between different oligarchs created an environment in which political satire existed openly in Russian culture, which had not been permitted during the nearly seventy years of communist rule. A particularly significant example of this was NTV’s program Kukli (Puppets) (1994-2002) based on the UK program Spitting Image, which featured puppet versions of prominent Russian politicians, and aired three-hundred-sixty-three episodes. Yeltsin unexpectedly resigned as president of Russia on December 31, 1999, and was succeeded by Vladimir Putin, who has remained the central political figure in Russia since then. Putin’s government almost immediately began to reign in media freedoms. By the end of 2002, all of Russia’s major media properties were under the control of either a state-owned company or close allies of the Russian government. Unsurprisingly Kukli was taken off the air that year, and political satire disappeared from Russian mass culture. This paper will map out the development of Russian satire on television since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Using prominent examples from unscripted standup comedy, evening variety shows and scripted dramas that are openly political and apparently apolitical, this paper argues the Russian television industry engages with and subverts the potential of various satirical genres resulting in the creation of cynical distance that potentially impedes the ability of satire to speak truth to power.

Reflections of the relationship between education indicators and economic, law and human development indicators

The aim of this research is to interpret the relationship between indicators of education, human development, economy and justice based on current indicators measured by international independent organizations. The coverage of this study was composed of 41 countries. Statistical evidence was collected that countries were divided into two clusters according to 15 indicators as education, law, human development and economy. The relationships between the average year of schooling in developed countries with the global competition; income inequality and freedom of the press; the rate of investment in basic education and freedom of the press; PISA-reading comprehension and judicial independence; PISA-reading comprehension average score and judicial independence; income inequality and fundamental rights; the rate of investment in basic education and fundamental rights; the rate of investment in basic education and the rule of law; income inequality and investment in basic education; investment rate in basic education and gender inequality, income inequality and rule of law were found to be statistically significant. However, it was observed that the correlation coefficients between the same indicators were not statistically significant for developing countries.

“To combat tyranny and control power” The political uses of freedom of the press in New Granada and Colombia (1810-1830)

Este artículo describe y analiza la manera como algunos hombres públicos neogranadinos, fungiendo como editores de prensa y obrando como auspiciadores o simpatizantes de la independencia, invocaron, reivindicaron y usaron la libertad de imprenta a propósito de su intención de romper los vínculos con la monarquía española y de forjar e instaurar un nuevo orden político e institucional. Al efecto, se argumenta que, al reivindicarla en los términos en que lo hicieron y al usarla con los fines políticos e ideológicos que persiguieron, esos hombres no buscaron solamente derrumbar el control y el monopolio que la corona había impuesto sobre la imprenta, sino que, con base en dicha reivindicación, también pretendieron validar la ruptura con el régimen monárquico, legitimar la instauración del orden republicano, controlar a las autoridades del naciente Estado, y hasta desfogar por esa vía las desavenencias que ellos mismos tejieron tras la consumación de la independencia, haciendo entonces que esa mentada libertad no solo adquiriera un nuevo sentido y contenido, sino que operara como un instrumento de acción y disputa política e ideológica.

Competitive Authoritarianism and Populism in Serbia Under Vučić in Political Cartoons

We explored links between competitive authoritarianism and populism in Serbia under Vučić via mixed methods. We conducted a quantitative content analysis of 228 political cartoons (2013–2017) by Dušan Petričić, a leading cartoonist and government critic, and qualitative visual and contextual analysis of four cartoons that reflected key themes—media freedom violations, unfair political competition, and populist and abusive rule. We found that populism appeared as the ‘soft’ face of competitive authoritarianism, tolerable to domestic audiences and acceptable to influential international actors because of its reliance on more informal and sophisticated and less repressive forms of authoritarian manipulation.

Iraqi press after World War II 1946-1958 Freedom of the press in light of the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

شهد العراق بعد انتهاء الحرب العالمية الثانية ، وتأسيس منطمة ألأمم المتحدة ، انفتاحا سياسيا داخليا ، وانتعاشا للحياة الديمقراطية ، تمثل بتأسيس احزاب سياسية علنية ، وتمتع الصحافة بحرية نسبية ، وظهرت صحف جديدة ، غير أنً ذلك لم يدم طويلا ، نتيجة لسلوك السلطات المناف لمباديء الديمقراطية و حقوق الانسان التي ضمنها الاعلان العالمي الصادر عام 1948وميثاق الامم المتحدة اللذان كفلاحرية الصحافة والنشر . وقد استغلت السلطات الحكومية المتعاقبة (1946-1958 م ) الظروف السياسية التي كان يمرٌ بها العراق فاعلنت الاحكام العرفية لأكثر من مرة ، والتي من خلالها ، كانت تقضي على كل انواع الحريات ، وفي مقدمتها حرية الصحافة ، من خلال الرقابة المسبقة التي تمارسها . وكانت اخر ضربة وجهتها الحكومة للصحافة هو اصدارها المرسوم 24 لسنة 1954، الذي الغى امتياز جميع الصحف الصادرة انذاك ، والتي قدرت بحدود مئتي صحيفة ومجلة ، ولم تمنح الحكومة بعدها سوى امتيازات لسبع صحف فقط ، اربعة منها مؤيدة لسياستها ، استمرت حتى سقوط النظام الملكي

Varieties of corona news: a cross-national study on the foundations of online misinformation production during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42001-022-00193-5.

Coverage of Social-Political Processes in Independent and Non-Government Press Publications

Within a short 31-year history in which our country gained its independence, it went through centuries-old historical processes based on the principle of "from National Restoration to national rise", achieving tremendous results in all spheres of public life. The correctness of our chosen path is also recognized by the world community. "Even countries that consider themselves leaders of development are proof of this that economic growth rates in our country have reached 8.1% at a time when the world economy has recently been a bit in a hurry during the crisis that has occurred." At this point, it should be noted that, like all spheres of public life, a new attitude towards the media has arisen, and freedom of the press and speech has become an invaluable blessing. In general, independence provided a wide opportunity for free thinking, for everyone to openly express their opinion, and gave rise to new opportunities in ensuring the stability of free thinking. This is reflected in the growing number of media types and numbers today. The press and other media began to give a wide place in newspapers and magazines, broadcasting and TV shows directly to topics of socio-economic, political, spiritual and educational, international importance in the free spirit. Indeed, during the years of independence, a new system of media has been formed in our country, the legal framework created on the basis of world best practices in this regard acts and serves as a solid foundation. The media should act not only as a disseminator of information but also as an enlightened, educator and consultant who correctly analyzes information, and objectively criticizes problems and shortcomings. The media occupy an important place in the political process of any country. The role of mass media in the society of the Republic of Uzbekistan is described in the article. Also, the goals and tasks of mass media are covered in as much detail as possible.

Book Review: Media Freedom, by Damian Tambini

Book Review: <i>Media Freedom</i>, by Damian Tambini

Freedom of Expression and Social Media: How Employers and Employees Can Benefit from Speech Policies Rooted in International Human Rights Law

Freedom of Expression and Social Media: How Employers and Employees Can Benefit from Speech Policies Rooted in International Human Rights Law

The Impact of ESG Controversies on Bank Value and Risk-taking

ESG performance is one of the most important non-financial factors investors pay attention to when valuing a bank. Previous studies, devoted to bank ESG performance, rely solely on ESG ratings. The contribution of this paper to the existing literature is investigation of a new measure of ESG performance – ESG controversies. ESG controversies are covered in the media negative news that reflect a bank failure in ESG performance. The goal of this paper is to investigate the influence of negative ESG news on market value and stability of companies in a banking sector.A cross-country sample of 134 banks and data on 1,200 controversies from 2016 to 2020 are used in this study. Our results provide evidence that ESG controversies negatively affect bank value and have no impact on its stability. However, the effect on share prices is not unified: it is stronger for banks that are in the scope of investor attention, and this relation is observed for developed markets with high freedom of press exclusively. Moreover, investors take into consideration the reason of ESG controversy occurrence. They react strongly to negative ESG news, related to community and workforce.

Factors and Forms of Pressure in the Media Environment in Bulgaria

The focus of the article is to identify and describe current problems of the average media environment in Bulgaria. Such as: independence of decision-making in the editorial offices; external and internal pressure; under what financial and labour conditions do journalists their work; impact on various events and factors on the media sector such as: the effect of the pandemic, the economic and political environment, military conflicts, etc. In order to this research goal are presented results from online survey conducted on the perception of media freedom in Bulgaria among 204 journalists, media experts and university professors. It was carried out in the period May-June 2022.

Limitations on the Freedom of the Press in the Face of Corruption Scandals as Instruments of Quasi-militant Democracy in Malta

Limitations on the Freedom of the Press in the Face of Corruption Scandals as Instruments of Quasi-militant Democracy in Malta

The Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant in Turkey: Some Causes for Concern

ABSTRACT This article focuses on the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant in Turkey. Its thesis is that its construction marks a turning point in the history, character, dynamics and risk profile of both Turkey and the Greater Middle East. The construction of the Plant reflects a number of emerging phenomena with unmistakable geopolitical implications. These encompass the nuclearization of Turkey, the nuclearization of the Greater Middle East and what appears to be an increasingly intimate Russo-Turkish bilateral relationship at odds with Turkey’s membership of NATO. Against this background, the article pinpoints several causes for concern. Among these is the detachment of Turkey from a string of international conventions that seek to promote nuclear safety or to protect the sea, the wider environment, workers or other people. Other causes for concern include the absence in Turkey of a deep-rooted culture steeped in transparency, press freedom, whistleblowing and other potential facilitators of nuclear safety. The article ends with five sets of recommendations directed towards the Government of Turkey plus the Governments and inhabitants of other states in the Greater Middle East and the EU, two of whose member states, the Republic of Cyprus and Greece, are situated in relatively close proximity to the Plant.

Constitutional and Legal Guarantees Related to Freedom of the Press and Media in the Jordanian Legal System

Freedom of press and media is a key component of the right to freedom of expression, which enjoys constitutional protection and guaranteed by international human rights standards, foremost of which is the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Jordan ratified and published in the Official Gazette. The importance of freedom of press and media stems from the essential role it plays as an oversight authority, and as a means to communicate information and facts to individuals, which contributes to enabling them to form positions and opinions on issues that concern them. Exercising this important role requires providing constitutional and legal guarantees so that workers in this profession can work without fear of accountability. Hence, this research came to address the most prominent legal guarantees in the national legislative system that ensured exercising freedom of press and media and addresses the most prominent problems related to the legislative environment that may limit the press and media from carrying out the duties entrusted to them and to provide the necessary recommendations in this context.

Ross, Trevor. Writing in Public: Literature and the Liberty of the Press in Eighteenth-Century Britain

Ross, Trevor. <i>Writing in Public: Literature and the Liberty of the Press in Eighteenth-Century Britain</i>