Freedom of the press - how free is free?

In the aftermath of the News of the World hacking scandal, it seems that the notion of press freedom has become more pertinent than ever. 

It cannot be denied that a free press plays an intrinsic role in upholding the democratic values of a society. Indeed, freedom of the press has been championed as the very foundation of democratic societies. As former Prime Minister John Howard stated, “The best safeguards we have for our democracy are a robust parliamentary process, a free press, and an incorruptible judiciary. If you’ve got those three things, you’ve got a free country” (Marr 2005). What do we mean by freedom of the press? Essentially, the freedom of the press implies a press separated from any institutional influences, which ultimately allows for the free speech of the people within society. The press, therefore, acts as a democratic vehicle for the citizens it represents. This separation from institutional influences is imperative. In order to uphold its important role as the Fourth Estate [vital to the checks and balances of a healthy democracy], the journalism industry must always remain free any government control or censorship. Censorship is detrimental to journalism, where any political interferences or pressures may limit a citizen’s input in the running of their government. 

And yet, can there be such thing as too much freedom when it comes to journalism? Who watches the watch dog? Indeed, the notion of press freedom has come under intense scrutiny in the past. Let’s take, for example, the recent News of the World hacking scandal.

Above: Image taken from Google. 

  After operating for nearly 170 years, the News of the World published its final edition on the 10^th July 2011. And the reason for its demise? A series of scandals revealed a deep-seated culture of unethical journalistic practices within the newspaper. The scandals involved a number of allegations that the News of the World hired private investigators to hack into the voicemail of numerous individuals, including actress Sienna Miller, Gordon Brown and Prince William (The Telegraph 2011). Apart from the sundry of high-profile actors and politicians, the paper is also accused of hacking the voicemail of 9/11 victims and their families and the voicemail of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler. In January 2011, the British police opened an official investigation (Operation Weeting) into the hacking allegations. After a series of arrests and the announcement of two government inquiries, the News of the World said its final goodbyes.

   So what does this scandal mean for the journalism industry? According to Laurie Oakes, journalist and Walkley Foundation Advisory Board Chair, the major fallout affects of the scandal will be a decline in public trust of what journalists do and the way they do it (Walkleys 2011). From this issue of trust, journalists will no doubt be under increasing scrutiny. And, if there’s no trust, how is journalism expected carry out its important role as a vehicle of free speech. However, instead of viewing the scandal and its after effects as the end of news as we know it, journalists should instead view it as a wake up call. The scandal should act as a form of warning, signalling a change in journalistic values and practices is perhaps required. Ethics play an intrinsic role in journalism, thus journalists should learn and adopt the correct ethical practices. They must, in sum, be accountable.

Upholding the freedom of the press is vital. A free press is an essential element of democracy, creating well-informed citizens who are able to actively participate in and understand the running of their government and society. Journalists should learn from the past and strive to earn back the trust of the public whose interests they were created to serve.

For a complete timeline of the hacking scandal, visit The Telegraph here. 

References:

ABC (2011). Key plays in News of the World scandal. ABC News. Accessed 15/9/11 <http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-07-06/key-players-in-news-of-the-world-scandal/2784372>

Chandrasekhar, I (2011). Phone hacking: timeline of the scandal. The Telegraph. Accessed 15/9/11 <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/8634176/Phone-hacking-timeline-of-a-scandal.html>

Marr, D (2005). And to crown it all. SMH. Accessed 15/9/11 <http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/and-to-crown-it-all/2005/11/04/1130823397723.html>

Walkleys (2011). Where to from here? Accessed 15/9/11 <http://www.walkleys.com/features/2457/>