Remarks On Media Freedom

At Tbilisi State University in Georgia, US Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Tara Sonenshine delivered remarks on media freedom.

Why is media freedom so important? Because – as I often say – information is the oxygen that a free and civilized society needs to breathe. Without it societies suffocate. Sometimes there’s no information at all – because governments repress it, or journalists are too intimidated or unmotivated or irresponsible to report the truth. Sometimes the information consists primarily of gossip, rumor, hearsay, and conspiracy theories. So it’s important that we have a diverse and independent press, so the people can trust what they read, hear, and see in the media. When we have a free, fair, and vigorous media environment in a democratic society, we are informed about the truth. And that allows us to make the best decisions we can, based on the most reliable information we can find. We need all sides of the equation to be mutually reinforcing: On one side, there are the fundamental freedoms of expression, assembly, and association that are enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and on the other, we need to have freedom of the media so they can hold accountable anyone or any institution that abuses those freedoms. That balance is crucial to a robust democracy. And that’s where education plays a crucial role.