Freedom of the press is an integral part of “freedom of thought, speech and expression”

Dean of the European University of Lefke (EUL) Faculty of Communication Sciences Prof. Dr. Elif Asude Tunca made a statement on the occasion of “May 3, World Press Freedom Day” and said, “With the decision of the United Nations in 1994, May 3, which was celebrated as the World Press Freedom Day, emerged as a basic requirement to remind the place and importance of press freedom in human life.” she said.

Tunca continued her words as follows; “The freedom of the press is an integral part of“ freedom of thought, speech and expression ”that we perceive as a fundamental human right. Even if the freedom of thought, speech and expression is included within the scope of fundamental rights and freedoms in the constitutions of many countries, the use of this right is restricted in various ways and even in many countries it is referred to as a complete “annihilation” rather than “restriction”. ”

Freedom of speech and expression can only be brought to life with the full realization of “freedom of the press”.

Emphasizing that freedom of thought, speech and expression can only come to life with the full realization of “freedom of the press”, Tunca emphasizes that the press, realizing the “right to information” of individuals; At the same time, he stated that by making their voices heard in the public sphere, it is a tool that enables “freedom of expression” to come to life. Tunca said, “Journalists ensure that this freedom comes to life. Therefore, it is not possible to talk about people exercising “freedom of thought, speech and expression” without ensuring the freedom of journalists and the independence of media organs.

“The freedom of press workers is not only in terms of expressing their opinions freely and publishing the correct news without any pressure or threat; it is possible by being financially independent. This is the basic requirement that will enable journalists and media organizations to achieve complete freedom by becoming independent from all possible pressure groups, especially political mechanisms, ”said Tunca. She gave the following statements in the continuation of her statement;

It is a basic necessity for press and media organs to have the opportunities to live independently from the political power, in order to ensure the freedom of the press. Unfortunately, this is not possible in many countries. Moreover, these opportunities are gradually decreasing even in countries we think have developed economy and democracy conditions. It is one of the most important elements of the freedom of the press that the employees of the press and media organs can work without being restricted by any rules or conditions other than journalism rules. On the other hand, it is not possible to say that journalists in many countries of the world can only work in accordance with the press ethics and journalism principles.

Although it is claimed that developing communication technologies facilitate the right to receive and disseminate information and serve “freedom of thought, speech and expression” in this context, various problems have started to be experienced in this area. Is the world shown to us real? Or is it what they want us to see? It is getting harder and harder to give an exact answer to this question. The manipulative applications of major social communication platforms cause us to doubt the reality of the communication world we live in.

As we celebrate the World Press Freedom Day, May 3, in such a global environment, we need to know that improving the working conditions of journalists is actually a contribution to the “right to news” for all of us, and understand that while journalists work for us, we must work for them.

People can only be as free as they want and fight for. Enjoying freedom will be possible by making our choices, knowing what freedom of the press is and what it does.