British Press Freedom and Privacy

Abstract or Introduction

Without doubt, freedom of the press is an important cornerstone of democratic societies. It is widely considered that the more press freedom there exists in a country the more democratic, developed, etc. this country is. Every year, the international organization “Reporters Without Borders” provide a record of the current situation of press freedom all over the world - awarding 1st place the country which has most of it. After the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, however, the freedom of the press is looked at more critically than ever before. Diana’s complaints to the Press Complaints Commission as well as an obtained injunction against a press photographer both display her urging need for more privacy in the years before her death. She made several statements claiming more comfortability in her and her children’s private life. But not until her tragic death in 1997, new measures in order to protect the privacy of individuals were seriously taken into consideration.
In this essay, these attempts to restrict the freedom of press are investigated. First of all, a rough definition of crucial terms like privacy and press freedom will be given. Secondly, the history of the British press and its freedom will be outlined in chapter II. In chapter III, important measures taken after 1997 will be explained. Taking into account several articles about privacy law, the current situation will be sketched as well. Finally, my own opinion and ideas will be exposed in the conclusion.