freedom of the press

noun phrase

: the right of newspapers, magazines, etc., to report news without being controlled by the government

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

The Gershkovich case represents one of Mr. Putin’s most drastic attacks to date on freedom of the press. —Anton Troianovski, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2023

The Supreme Court overturned the Alabama court’s decision 9-0, and used what was a minor case to proclaim this larger principle about the meaning of free speech and freedom of the press. —Harry Bruinius, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Apr. 2023

Fox has defended its coverage as newsworthy and called the suit an attack on freedom of the press. —Julia Malleck, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2023

Likewise, Fox News will almost certainly continue to frame the Dominion case as that of a corporation intent on stifling the First Amendment’s guarantees of free speech and freedom of the press. —Jonathan Weisman, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2023

In America, the freedom of the press is often exercised as the freedom to congregate in exactly the same place at the same time, not doing much. —Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2023

Legal Definition

freedom of the press

: the right to publish and disseminate information, thoughts, and opinions without restraint or censorship as guaranteed under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

Note: The First Amendment's guarantees of freedom of speech and freedom of the press are closely intertwined, and many cases relating to freedom of the press are couched in terms of the freedom of speech.