Preliminary Research On Freedom Of The Press And Its Limitation Under The Perspective Of Political Science

The aim of this paper is trying to give the freedom of press complete interpretation and accurate grasp, through the analysis of the meaning of the freedom of press, its demonstration in political philosophy's method, value and restriction.The author analyses the definition of the freedom of press and its political philosophy demonstration in this article firstly. Author hold the opinion that freedom of press comes from freedom of the press and speech, which becoming more and more important with the rapidly development of news media. There are three worthy points of view: theological theory, nature right theory, and the theory that freedom of thought and speech help to bring in truths. J. Milton put forward the press freedom from the first. He presumed that press freedom could guarantee people to acquire truths for God endow man with reason, so he set him against imprimatur system; the theory of nature right was demonstrated by Locke and Montesquieu. Press freedom in this theory had been considered one of the basic human rights. While Mill suppose freedom of thought and speech are the core of freedom.The next part examines the three values of the freedom of press: gaining knowledge, acquire truths, maintaining and achieving democracy and self-fulfillment. The freedom of press is always benefit to get truths, since people's knowledge are limited. No one should not interdict others from acquiring knowledge and meanwhile only those truths which have been challenged can be wildly accepted. The freedom of press is the main means to transmit truths. At the same time, as an important part in modem society, media play an important role in maintaining and achieving democracy. Media provide people with information and make political activities under the supervision of citizens to keep democracy system run well. As the forth power, media's supervision on the running of government power is crucial. Medias offer two ways for people to supervise: provide information and therefore forms the public opinion to press government; on the other hand, owing to the supervision and restriction of government power by people, news media can do better. The freedom of press can help to make a relation of trust between citizens and government through demystifying the workings of government. Moreover, it also contributes to the self-fulfillment of individual since it build a free, loose and unlimited environment.Although the press of freedom has such important value ,its not limited ,is limited .Because the freedom can not called freedom if it is not limited .At the same time ,the press of freedom also be limited .The third section of the article considers that there are three points for the press of freedom .First ,the limitation of the model of market required to limit the press of freedom .Second ,the public benefit need to limit the press of freedom .Third , the private benefit need to limit the press of freedom .The model of market make the monopoly occurs that the media is controlled by big company .And for the driver of the benefit ,the content is full of eroticism ,violence and scandals and so on .The press of freedom can also do harm to personal benefit ,and moreover it may invade the private right and the honor of right and make the decrease of the participation of politics .It is the three reasons demands to limit the press of freedom .The ways to limit the press of freedom concludes two kind :the constraint beforehand and the punishment afterwards .The limit also obey certain some principles which is also a limit for the limit.In a word ,Freedom of the Press has important value which is very protected and pursued by people .Whereas this kind of freedom is not unrestricted,arbitrary but restricted .Such restriction is the protection of the Freedom of the Press which prevents its abuse .And this restriction should follow certain principle which is restriction to the restriction , as the restriction could be abused without the principle .Not only protect the Freedom of the Press ,but also prevent the abuse of the Freedom of the Press and its restriction .