Topic > Security, Privacy and Journalism

A person campaigning for a public interest must always keep national security and national interest in mind as they are above citizens' right to information. Freedom of the press is part of freedom of speech and expression and as such is a fundamental right and is considered "the issue of all other freedoms in a democratic society". Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay However, there are exceptions called privileges. The most famous is the attorney-client privilege which exempts a lawyer from testifying against a client about confidential communications. Many states recognize similar privileges for doctors, therapists, religious counselors, and spouses. They all stem from the belief that there is a public interest that justifies excluding the testimony of some people against others. Journalists argued that they should have a privilege for more or less similar reasons. They rely on sources to provide the news they publish, and those sources may not share sensitive or critical information in the absence of anonymity, for fear of being punished for sharing it. Thus, privileges have been developed by protecting journalists, because there is a public interest in encouraging the disclosure of newsworthy information. When a law restricting freedom of speech and expression is not directly contrary to the weakening of state security or its overthrow, the law cannot fall within the scope of the reservation provided for in paragraph 2 of Article 19, even if the restrictions it intends to impose may generally have been conceived in the interests of public order. It follows that section 9(1-A) which authorizes the imposition of restrictions for the broader purpose of ensuring public safety or maintenance of public order does not fall within the scope of restrictions authorized under clause (2) , and is therefore void and unconstitutional." [3] It is clear that an individual's speech or expression that incites or encourages the commission of violent crimes, such as murder, cannot help but constitute matters that would undermine the security of the State. As already stated the security of the State means "the absence of serious and aggravated forms of public disorder", distinct from ordinary violations of "public security" or "public order" which cannot entail any danger for the State itself crimes of violence intended to overthrow the government, imposition of war and rebellion against the government, external aggression or war, but not minor violations of public order or tranquility such as unlawful assembly, riot, brawl, reckless driving, promotion of enmity between classes better and similar. In the event that a law can receive two interpretations, one of which makes it constitutional and the other unconstitutional, the interpretation that makes it constitutional must be preferred. The force of the law is bound to diminish if the very purpose of the law is not fully achieved by its provisions per se. In other words, the right to free speech and expression is afforded to journalists in our nation without adequate legal protection. The abundant information in the interest of the public that needs to be disclosed would continue to remain in the realm of confidentiality if there was no protection accorded to the rights of the journalist. The relationship between a journalist and his source of information anonymous to others must be identical to the lawyer-client relationship or the doctor-patient relationship. Confidentiality must be maintained due to the weight and importance of the relationship between them as well as the information being in the public interest. Therefore, the.