Student press freedom Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Student press freedom - Assignment Example The freedom of the press is quite vast, such that a few politicians have referred to the public press as the fourth estate, essentially conferring on it the same degree of importance and significance as the other three branches of the government. It can conduct its own inquiries in search of truth, in the name of public interest, like investigative journalism in which certain anomalies involving public funds can be uncovered, as an example. Freedom of the press carries with it vast powers but imposes the strict standards of ethics and principles adopted by the members of the press who consider their job as a profession. As such, the press refers originally to previous regimes in which news and information are obtained from newspapers, but in todays digital world, press also refers to all types of media available, like print, radio, television, and Internet (e-mails, blogs, and social networking sites) where information can spread very quickly indeed on a worldwide basis. The right to exercise this freedom is synonymous with all the responsibilities to exercise it in a responsible manner, to prevent abuses, promote welfare, and maintain journalistic independence. This paper discusses some of the issues involving the laws on media, and in particular, the specific sub-topic of freedom of the student press. In this regard, students who work in their own student or school publications learn firsthand the basics of what responsible journalism is all about, gaining valuable experience in the exercise of this important basic constitutional right.