Research Guides
Communication Studies: Freedom of the Press
This subject guide is a starting point for communication-related research, including mass media, speech communication, and more.
Background Sources
- Historical Guide to World Media Freedom: A Country-by-Country Analysis
This link opens in a new window
Committee to Protect Journalists
Loading ...
Book Sampler
The UW Libraries has many books related to freedom of the press. To find additional books, use UW Libraries Search.
War Reporters under Threat by
War Reporters Under Threat describes the threat of violence facing war reporters from the United States government and some of its closest allies.Chris Paterson argues that what should have been the lesson for the press following the invasion of Iraq - that they will be treated instrumentally by the US government - has been mostly ignored. As a result, even nominally democratic states cannot be counted upon to protect journalists in conflict, and urgent reform of legal protections for journalists is required.War Reporters Under Threat combines critical scholarship with original investigation to assess the impact of the US government's obsession with information control and protection of its own troops. While the press-military relationship has been well researched, this book is the first to elaborate the US government threat to journalists.
Enemy of the People by
Shortly after assuming office in January 2017, President Donald Trump accused the press of being an "enemy of the American people." Attacks on the media had been a hallmark of Trump's presidential campaign, but this charge marked a dramatic turning point: language like this ventured into dangerous territory. Twentieth-century dictators--notably, Stalin, Hitler, and Mao--had all denounced their critics, especially the press, as "enemies of the people." Their goal was to delegitimize the work of the press as "fake news" and create confusion in the public mind about what's real and what isn't; what can be trusted and what can't be. That, it seems, is also Trump's goal. In Enemy of the People, Marvin Kalb, an award-winning American journalist with more than six decades of experience both as a journalist and media observer, writes with passion about why we should fear for the future of American democracy because of the unrelenting attacks by the Trump administration on the press. As his new book shows, the press has been a bulwark in the defense of democracy. Kalb writes about Edward R. Murrow's courageous reporting on Senator Joseph McCarthy's "red scare" theatrics in the early 1950s, which led to McCarthy's demise. He reminds us of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's reporting in the early 1970s that led to President Richard Nixon's resignation. Today, because of revolutionary changes in journalism, no Murrow is ready at the battlements. Journalism has been severely weakened. Yet, without a virile, strong press, democracy is in peril. Kalb's book is a frightening indictment of President Trump's efforts to delegitimize the American press--and put the future of our democracy in question.
Killing the Story: Journalists Risking Their Lives to Uncover the Truth in Mexico by
A harrowing and unforgettable look at reporting in Mexico, one of the world's most dangerous countries to be a journalist In 2017, Mexico edged out Iraq and Syria as the deadliest country in the world in which to be a reporter, with at least fourteen journalists killed over the course of the year. The following year another ten journalists were murdered, joining the almost 150 reporters who have been killed since the mid-2000s in a wave of violence that has accompanied Mexico's war on drugs. In Killing the Story, award-winning journalist and filmmaker Temoris Grecko reveals how journalists are risking their lives to expose crime and corruption. From the streets of Veracruz to the national television studios of Mexico City, Grecko writes about the heroic work of reporters at all levels'from the local self-trained journalist, Moises Sanchez, whose body was found dismembered by the side of a road after he reported on corruption by the state's governor, to high-profile journalists such as Javier Valdez CArdenas, gunned down in the streets of Sinaloa, and Carmen Aristegui, battling the forces attempting to censor her. In the vein of Charles Bowden's Murder City and Anna Politskaya's A Russian Diary, Killing the Story is a powerful memorial to the work of Grecko's lost colleagues, which shows a country riven by brutality, hypocrisy, and corruption, and sheds a light on how those in power are bent on silencing those determined to reveal the truth and bring an end to corruption.
Attacks on the Press 2015 by
The most comprehensive guide to the global state of free press in 2015 Attacks on the Press is the world's most comprehensive guide to international press freedom. Compiled by the Committee to Protect Journalists, this informative guide features analytical essays from CPJ and other experts and provides a platform for direct advocacy with governments and the diplomatic community to give voice to journalists worldwide. Reporters and photographers face a myriad of risks, from highly publicized murder to imprisonment, cyberattacks, harassment, frivolous lawsuits, and censorship. The risks are increasing due to widespread unrest and in response to the broad dissemination of critical information through social media and the Internet. This book gives journalists a seat at the discussions at the United Nations, Organization of American States, European Union, African Union, and more, to protect journalists and the freedom of press that is so essential to human rights. By publicly revealing abuses against the press and acting on behalf of imprisoned and threatened journalists, CPJ effectively warns journalists and news organizations where free press is in danger. This book is their annual guide to where these attacks are occurring, and who is doing the attacking. Assess dangers to freelance journalists in conflict zones Evaluate new forms of censorship in places like Egypt, Hong Kong, and Turkey Contemplate the long-range impacts of the publicized executions of journalists by militant groups Review available cybersecurity measures and the price journalists pay to keep up with spies Analyze the 10 most censored countries in the world Strong press freedom encourages the growth of a robust civil society, which leads to stable, sustainable democracies and healthy social, political, and economic development. Attacks on the Press is the most comprehensive annual survey of global press freedom, and a calling out of those who threaten it.
Al Jazeera, Freedom of the Press, and Forecasting Humanitarian Emergencies by
This book reveals how Al Jazeera and its news coverage became a force for change politically, socially and culturally in the Middle East in general, and the Arab world in particular. It explores pre-Al Jazeera and post-Al Jazeera representations of humanitarian crises and identifies a potentially significant partnership between the news organizations and humanitarian actors. By tracing the evolution of the news network, the book sheds new light on how Al Jazeera effected change in the Global South. The research identifies a significant relationship between Al Jazeera's news coverage and the ability to forecast international humanitarian actions, politically and militarily. It also explores the potential for continued partnership between humanitarian actors and news organization to identify crises in their early stages. Lastly, the book examines the distinct, original lexicon developed by Al Jazeera for humanitarian affairs and shows how the network influenced international media stylebooks and changed humanitarian coverage on key global issues. 　 A compelling examination of Al Jazeera's news operation that will be of interest to students and scholars of media studies, political communication, journalism and news reporting, international politics and the media, and Arab media.
Networked Press Freedom by
Reimagining press freedom in a networked era: not just a journalist's right to speak but also a public's right to hear. In Networked Press Freedom, Mike Ananny offers a new way to think about freedom of the press in a time when media systems are in fundamental flux. Ananny challenges the idea that press freedom comes only from heroic, lone journalists who speak truth to power. Instead, drawing on journalism studies, institutional sociology, political theory, science and technology studies, and an analysis of ten years of journalism discourse about news and technology, he argues that press freedom emerges from social, technological, institutional, and normative forces that vie for power and fight for visions of democratic life. He shows how dominant, historical ideals of professionalized press freedom often mistook journalistic freedom from constraints for the public's freedom to encounter the rich mix of people and ideas that self-governance requires. Ananny's notion of press freedom ensures not only an individual right to speak, but also a public right to hear. Seeing press freedom as essential for democratic self-governance, Ananny explores what publics need, what kind of free press they should demand, and how today's press freedom emerges from intertwined collections of humans and machines. If someone says, "The public needs a free press," Ananny urges us to ask in response, "What kind of public, what kind of freedom, and what kind of press?" Answering these questions shows what robust, self-governing publics need to demand of technologists and journalists alike.
Press Freedom in Contemporary Asia by
This book analyzes the constraints on press freedom and the ways in which independent reporting and reporters are at risk in contemporary Asia to provide a barometer of democratic development in the region. Based on in-depth country case studies written by academics and journalists, and some who straddle both professions, from across the region, this book explores the roles of mainstream and online media, and how they are subject to abuse by the state and vested interests. Specific country chapters provide up-to-date information on Bangladesh, Kashmir, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as on growing populist and nationalist challenges to media freedom in the Philippines, India, Indonesia and Japan. The book includes a theoretical chapter pulling together trends and common constraints facing newsrooms across Asia and a regional overview on the impact of social media. Three chapters on China provide insights into the country's tightening information environment under President Xi Jinping. Moreover, the legal environment of the media, political and external pressures, economic considerations, audience support and journalists' standards and ethics are explored. As an international and interdisciplinary study, this book will appeal to undergraduates, graduates and scholars engaged in human rights, media studies, democratization, authoritarianism and Asian Studies, as well as Asia specialists, journalists, legal scholars, historians and political scientists.
