A free press can be good or bad, but most certainly without freedom it will never be anything but bad. 

Albert Camus, Author, France, 1960

Journalists must seek and speak the truth, for we are the voice of the voiceless millions. 

Razia Bhatti, Journalist, Pakistan, 1994

World Press Freedom Day is a time to cherish the freedom for which other journalists in more dangerous places are ready to risk everything. They are heroes, and we should be humbled and inspired by their courage.

Paul Tash, executive editor, St Petersburg Times, 1999

Wherever books are burned, sooner or later men also are burned

Heinrich Heine, German poet, 1823

Theater, art, literature, cinema, press posters and window displays must be cleansed of all manifestations of our rotting world and placed in the service of a moral, political, and cultural idea. 

Adolf Hitler, German dictator, 1923

The increasing speed and flow of information has opened up closed economies and helped democratize the most repressive regimes. You can close geographic borders but you can't build effective borders in cyberspace. 

Bill Gates, CEO, Mircosoft Corp., 1999

The public have an insatiable curiosity to know everything. Except what it is worth knowing. Journalism, conscious of this, and having tradesman-like habits, supplies their demands. 

Oscar Wilde, playwright, 1891

A good newspaper, I suppose, is a nation talking to itself.

Arthur Miller, playwright, 1961

Late each night, I receive next day's newspapers. Reading them brings depressing moments -- the misunderstandings, the misinformation, the unqualified, sometimes rancorous criticism . . . But awhile later, I realize that these same newspapers contain much that enlightens and enriches me. As I go to bed, I am almost euphoric that we are a free country, that we have this free press to unleash the enormous creative potential that was suppressed not so long ago. 

Vaclav Havel, President of the Czech Republic, 1992.

We live in a complex, puzzling world. Making sense of it requires revolutionary ideas. To develop new ideas, we need to be able to speak and be heard freely.

Erno Rubik, inventor of the Rubik's Cube, 2000

If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.

George Orwell, English novelist, 1945

I mourn the loss of books that will never be written, I mourn the voices that will be silenced -- writers' voices, teachers' voices, students' voices -- and all because of fear. 

Judy Blume, author, 1999

Everyone should be able to say what they think about anything without being frightened to do so. Sometimes this requires great courage. Be brave, speak up, and fight for the right to do so, even when you disagree with what is being said or how vile you think it to be.

Phillip Knightley, author, "The First Casualty", 2000

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Freedom of Expression

A Newspaper Exercise kit for Schools

Target ages : 11 to 16

 

Exercise 1 : International Texts on Press Freedom

Pick the sentence that you think means the most for Press Freedom.
About which sentence would you like more information ?
How and where can you find this information ?

You can start with these sites :
¥ Universal Declaration of Human Rights
¥ European Convention on Human Rights
¥ American Convention on Human Rights
¥ African Charter on Human and People's Rights

 

Exercise 2 : Press Freedom Day 3 May

Monitor your newspaper on 3 May to see if it celebrates Press Freedom Day.

Write a letter to the editor commenting on the May 3 stories and editorials.

Send WAN copies of May 3 stories you find and of your letters.
You can learn more about Press Freedom Day at:
http://wan-press.org/3may/index.html

 

Exercise 3 : The Meanings of Freedom

Find as many synonyms as possible of the word "Freedom" and use each word in a newspaper headline (the title that appears above an article).

If possible; do the same thing in another language

Try to find some of these synonyms in the newspaper. Do not forget to look at the advertising!

 

Exercise 4 : The Map of Freedom

Print and then color the map according to whether a country is listed as free, partially free or unfree.

Your country belongs to which category? Why do or don't you agree?

Look in your newspaper for stories about a country from each section. Does the story deal with questions of freedom of expression in that country ?

What other kind of freedoms do you think this map should include?

Work in teams to compile the same front page of a newspaper in a free country, a partial free country and an unfree country.

 

 

Exercise 5 : A Freedom Photo Gallery

Describe the connection of each photo with Press Freedom and Freedom of Expression.

  • Which photo represents a problem you understand very well ?
  • Which photo represents a problem that for you is very far away ?

Try to imagine a photo that shows the problems of Press Freedom or Freedom of Expression. Either describe the photo in writing, draw it or arrange a group of people to create a scene that recreates your imaginary photo.

 

Exercise 6 : Why Can't We Always Write What We Want?

There are some tough topics like suicide, crime, rape, violence. In some countries you can freely write about one or more of these themes. In some not. Some countries have restrictions.

Can you name more tough topics?

Do you know of topics that newspaper, radio or TV in your country are not (really) allowed to treat ? If so, how do you feel about this?

Check the treatment of such tough topics in the newspaper.What is the problem ? How is it handled ? Do you agree ?

Can you find evidence of limitations on freedom of expression can you name?

Do you know of any special rules or regulations regarding newspapers that created by students in their schools ? Comment on them.

 

Exercise 7: Make Yourself Heard

What do you think are the most effective ways of being heard?

Try to find examples in the newspaper where people are making themselves heard.

Does the newspaper have a page, telephone number or e-mail address where readers can express their opinions ?

On which subject in the newspaper would you like to express your opinion ?

If possible, tell the newspaper what you think about that topic.

 

Exercise 8 : A Front Page of Freedom

Make your own newspaper title

Make your own headlines and an articles

Draw or pick your own cartoon or picture

Make your own photo caption

Click here to see the parts of a front page.

 

Exercise 9 : Designs for Freedom

Try to explain in one sentence what connection each cartoon has with Press Freedom and Freedom of Expression.

Which cartoons present the message well ?

Why do you think so ?

Which cartoons do not succeed well in this purpose?

Draw your own cartoon

Design your own Press Freedom poster.
Click here to see some examples

 

Exercise 10 : Talking about Freedom

People have varied opinions about Freedom of Expression and Press Freedom. We have included some of those on the left side of this page. What would you say now about Freedom of Expression and Press Freedom!

 

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