In this country, everyone is allowed to inform themselves freely and say openly what they think about politics and criticize it. However, attacks on journalists have increased significantly in recent years. Be it the current lack of press freedom in Russia or the way in which political parties combat critical journalism.
Freedom of the press: a cornerstone of democracy
Freedom of expression is an important component of democracy. Equally important is the freedom of the press. This includes everything that is part of press work, such as the procurement and subsequent dissemination of information in the form of news. This includes all forms of media, not just newspapers in the traditional sense.
At the end of the 18th century, both rights were included in state constitutions for the first time. The Swedish Parliament was the first body to pass a press freedom law.
January 7, 2025 marks the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attack on the French satirical magazine "Charlie Hebdo". The press freedom situation has deteriorated worldwide since then. Although Germany has risen from 21st to tenth place in the new ranking, violence against journalists remains a cause for concern here too. There are more attacks, especially around elections - press freedom in Germany is in tatters. Journalists are insulted, threatened and involved in aggressive discussions. Problems with state intervention or the concentration of media offerings in the hands of a corporation are more common in more distant countries or, in some cases, in neighboring European countries. In non-democratic countries in particular, freedom of the press is often restricted by the state: independent newspapers are banned and websites blocked.
Freedom of the press is influenced by the financial dependence of the media and threats of violence against journalists.
