Media Regulation and Freedom: More or Less

The September 11 terror attack on the USA was an act that militated against the increasing political and economic liberalization around the world. The attackers, by using the very instruments that have led to the rise of free market capitalism as a political and economic ethos, compel us to look into how those instruments—political leaders, technology and the ethos of freedom—may be misused. A quick snapshot from the Freedom Forum suggests that press freedom has declined indeed in the wake of the September 11 attacks. A historical look into the passing of the UK’s Official Secrets Act suggests that a country under threat can react hastily and perhaps irrationally. Such a response is not unexpected when a country feels itself under threat. A common reaction is to limit civil liberties through measures such as restricting media freedom. This essay suggests that the responses to the attacks will linger. In the short-run, there are some gains for journalists through the retrenching of privacy laws. However, overall and in the longer term, there would be greater curbs on press freedom.