Freedom of speech vs. freedom of the press
Opinion Friday, October 9th, 2009
Editorial cartoons are a prime example of freedom of the press. Photo courtesy of Bruce MacKinnon.
In this generation everyone and their dog has a blog, Twitter page or what have you. This mass-communication phenomenon has stirred up a number of debates regarding freedom of speech and freedom of the press. It also seems to have inadvertently lumped these two terms together into one freedom-loving defense against defamation.
Despite what people may think there is a slight difference. If you type into your dictionary.com “free press” and “free speech”, there will be two separate definitions. In fact, they aren’t even listed as being synonymous with each other. Basically free speech is a right reserved for anyone to voice their opinion publicly and not get in trouble for it. Free press on the other hand is reserved for publishers of books, newspapers and other media outlets in regards to political matters and so on.
One problem is it places journalists and authors in the same category as the likes of Perez Hilton. I’ve tried to keep myself out of this piece but there is just one quick comparison I’d like to make.
In a few journalism classes at St. Thomas University, a discussion has arisen a few times regarding a local blogger Charles LeBlanc and whether he and other bloggers can be considered journalists. For the most part the consensus has been no. TV shows and news outlets have put Hilton on their shows and portray him as some sort of entertainment media correspondent. So Charles LeBlanc can’t be considered a journalist, but this guy who posts gossip on the internet is?
This is in no way to bash bloggers either. I have a blog myself, but I do not see my blog as a medium of journalism. It’s my own opinion and has very little place in a newspaper column.
Perez Hilton. Blogger turned celebrity. Hilton's celebrity blog is an example of freedom of speech. Picture courtesy of mediabistro.com.
There have been people in the past who have been persecuted and even killed in order to get a free press established not only in their country of origin but all around the world. It seems a bit disrespectful to exemplify their struggles with gossip of who is sleeping with who in Hollywood. It’s not even the fault of these bloggers that this mix-up is happening. The definition of news is changing as people are getting their information from online newspapers that, on occasion, pick up stories from none other than public blogs.
Joseph Howe, a Canadian hero of freedom of the press, probably wouldn’t object to freedom of speech in our society. However he probably wouldn’t want his contribution to society to be confused with a person’s right to pass around their own personal diary to the world. This basically sums up what a blog is.
So keep your Perez Hilton’s and your Charles LeBlanc’s, but don’t lose sight of the difference between a news agency and a sensationalist blog.
Short URL: http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/?p=1302
Posted by Stew Corbett
on Oct 9, 2009. Filed under Opinion.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
Both comments and pings are currently closed.
