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GCSE Citizenship Studies · key term
Media able to report news and express opinions without government censorship or political control, while remaining subject to the law.
Used by AQA and Edexcel
Paper 2
Revise: Role in Informing and Influencing Public OpinionA free press can report news and express opinions without government censorship or political control. Here, ‘free’ means independent, not available without payment. Newspapers can criticise the Prime Minister without first asking the Government for permission.
Paper 2
Media able to investigate, report and criticise those in power without government control over their reporting.
Revise: Role of the Media and a Free PressA free press can investigate, report and criticise those in power without the government controlling its reporting. Here, ‘free’ means independent of government control, not free of charge. This independence matters because a government should not be able to decide which accounts of its own performance citizens can hear.
In an evaluation, weigh the benefits of a free press against risks such as misleading coverage, then explain the conditions needed for it to serve the public well.
Do not assume a free press is always accurate or politically neutral. Newspapers can support political parties, while UK broadcasters must follow rules on due impartiality.
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