Freedom of the Press, Voice of the People-Your Thoughts Matter

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INTRODUCTION

The press is very important in our society today. It is gaining more attention and recognition by the day. This attention and recognition is because of the role it plays as it is now the eyes through which the society sees, the ears through which the society hears and the mouth through which the society speaks. These three statements captures the whole essence of the press in the modern society.

It is unfortunate that considering the important roles they play, they are not given the support that they need to thrive in today's challenging environment. In some areas, they may be considered as enemy for letting people know what has been hidden from them for a long time. This contest is very apt so that we could look into the points raised by the host to look into the affairs of the press.

The Roles The Press Play In Society? And Why It Is Important For A Healthy Democracy

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The Society would have been in the dark if the press were not there. A lot of opinions that would contribute to the development of the society would been silenced or made unheard. No one would been able to have where to run to, to express feelings about the good and bad going on in the society today.

The roles of the press in the society and its important in a democratic society are:

• To reveal or uncover the real state of issues and the underlying facts

• The press informs its immediate locality and the world at large, on what happens global scene

• It also play the role of changing and transforming the mentality of the people through media by being permissive and understanding

• The press educates the masses through its structured programs

With these roles outlined above, press freedom is important in a democratic setting. As democracy is hinged on the premise of freedom of speech, freedom of information, freedom of association where people express their views, press freedom should be allowed to function alongside these democratic norms. People should be free to express their views on politics, leadership, economy and social issues fears through the press.

Social Media Is A Part Of The Press And Freedom Of Expression Should Equally Apply There

Social media is part of the press but the press is more structured and regulated than the social media. For this reason, the social media is more prone to falsified information from unapproved sources. The information from the social media may be unreliable.

The social media should be part of the press if it could be streamlined into the press by some ways of regulation.

What The Society Without Press Freedom Would Look Like

A society without Press freedom would be in the dark. In such a society, the inability for people to fearlessly express their opinions and views, without being molested, attacked or arrested, signals the lack of press freedom.

In any society Where there is no freedom, there is lack of accountability. Accountability is one of the bedrocks of democracy. In press freedom, people would be provided with the platform to question their leaders on the isssues that are affecting the masses. Hence, people would not be able to hold their leaders accountable when press freedom and safety of press men is not guaranteed.

Generally, the doors for freedom of speech and expression would be shut against the people and they would not be able to know what is happening in the corridors of politics and economy.

The media has a massive responsibility in providing factual coverage that does not perpetuate myths or stereotypes, encourage generalizations or spread misinformation.

Social media also allows us to view political news and participate in political discussion like never before.

Media provides information which is the most relevant food for thought, portraits the major issues of the society and reflects people minds.

If I were a journalist, the topic I would write about and why

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If I were a journalist, I would be covering not just one but two topics. These topics are:

• Health and

• Economy

Health: is very important and so people need to know what to do for a healthy living. They should also be made to know what is happening in the health sector with regards to best practices, infrastructure for optimum healthcare delivery, trainings trainings and manpower.

• Economy: Reports on economic activities should be made available to people so that they know the state of the economy. I will make reports on some of the economic indicators such as:

• Agriculture

• GDP

• Inflation

• Taxation

• Foreign direct investment

• Forex

These two topics selected would require extensive research because they form the foundations upon which the society stands to succeed.

I am now inviting these persons to participate in this contest:
@missyleo
@protoss20
@kcherukuri