Free Speech, Responsible Media, Law and Liberal Democracy

Michael Lavarch

“In this chapter I will be discussing the role of the media in a liberal democracy, and the tension between the essential free flow of information in a free society and the accountability which all power, including media power, must be subjected to for a society to be truly free. I will look at issues of media power, media ownership, free speech, the role and impact of the internet, and possible models for regulation. My focus is on those media that deliver news and current affairs, such as electronic news, TV news and current affairs, and newspapers. The backdrop to my presentation will be the ‘perfect storm’ of events that has brought some of these issues into sharp relief in recent times, including the News of the World phone-hacking scandal. …”