Limitations of the media

Media has an important role to play in raising awareness on rights to official information. It does this by supporting and facilitating initiatives that sensitize government officials on the importance of making public information available, working with information centers to promote civic education on rights and entitlement under official legislations.

The media is important as it is a nonbiased source of information for politics and education. However the media is sometimes faced with limitations to their progress, such as ramifications for exposing state-run wrongdoings. In others, there are strict libel laws, which are meant to protect media stories from unsubstantiated claims, but are often so stifling that the media is again prohibited from fulfilling its defining function –- to share the news with the people.

In some nations, laws have been so severe that journalists can be punished with imprisonment and steep fines for reporting on government leaders. Charging the media with committing libel is accusing the media of publishing lies about a person, often a political official. As a result, the media organization and the journalist can be sued in court, and since the judges may be more aligned with the politician than the journalist they will often rule against the media.

In more severe criminal libel, the journalist and his or her media outlet not only published lies but stories they told threatened the stability of the country. When journalists are convicted of criminal libel, they are sent to prison, some times for years, and sometimes the editors and owners are also prosecuted.

Some countries have used licensing as a way of controlling the media, meaning that a media outlet must obtain a license from the government before being allowed to operate. However, when media publish or broadcast news about corruption or other forms of wrongdoing by the powerful, their license may be revoked.