International and Comparative Journalism Law

Freedom of the press (or lack thereof) informs journalism law. This is more or less the case in a rule-of-law democracy. Whether or not it is constitutionally guaranteed in a country, press freedom is recognized as part of freedom of expression under the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) as a hope and under the United Nations’ International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) as an enforceable human right closer to reality. Therefore, international and comparative journalism law is an important lens through which to examine and understand freedom of the press.

At one time, journalism law was conceptually and theoretically best illustrated via the American media as the Fourth Branch outside the three-branch government, highlighting freedom of expression in general and press ...