Addresses the lack of attention given to the status of press freedom from a political science perspective
Provides a detailed analysis of the status of press freedom within the global human rights debate and differentiates between the concept of press freedom and freedom of expression

Highlights the threat that the idea of press freedom and its promotion faces from all states, even from liberal democracies


This book examines why press freedom has not become part of the established international human rights debate, despite its centrality to democratic theory. It argues that an unrestricted press is not just an important economic actor, but also an influential power in the political process, a status that interferes with government interests of sustaining their own power and influence. Despite the popularity of ideational explanations in the field of human rights studies, in the case of promoting press freedom, considerations of power and strategic interests rather than ideas dominate state behavior. The author makes the case that the current place of press freedom in the human rights debate needs to be rethought not only in developing countries, but in liberal democracies as well.  Wiebke Lamer is Fellow at the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation (EIUC) in Venice, Italy.