0 If a country has a free press, its newspapers, magazines, and television and radio stations are able to express any opinions they want, even if these criticize the government and other organizations: --
How can there be democratic elections without a free press?
A free press and good governance usually go hand in hand.
Not the least of these changes was a free press, the right to organise unions and the belief that elections, though far from perfect, were not a complete fraud.
For example, although freedom of speech is usually considered axiomatic in a democracy, the newly democratized nations differ in the willingness of their governments to allow a free press.
In some parts of the world, community leaders, non-government organizations, and a free press (where they exist) have been known to galvanize activity on behalf of the relatively powerless 'pollutees'.
The spread of communications and a largely free press have allowed the voice of public opinion to make an impact on governmental decision-making.
A free press benefits rulers by improving economic performance, providing more accurate information about society, including citizen preferences, and earning international approval.
Indeed, the two were intimately linked, since government press policy was always responsive to developments in the free press and never spontaneous.
In this context, liberal demands for a free press reflected a desire for information, quite as much as they reflected a longing for liberty.
