Media Philosophy and Freedom

The media freedom in Portugal is probably falls under the area between the libertarian and social responsibility philosophies.  I believe it falls between the two because aspects of both philosophies reflect the media freedom in the country.  Most of the media is free of state control but not all is controlled and it is there to create a "checks and balances" for the government but at the same time provides many opinions and opens debate up to the public opinion.  It is there to entertain the public and sell to the public, but is also there to inform its citizens of what is going on.  The news does contain entertainment (mostly soccer or futbol depending on where your from) but also does contain news concerning economic and political arenas. 

A public sphere is created throughout the various mediums of media.  People are allowed to exchange and discuss different opinions.  Different aspects of society interact in these mediums such as government, economic, and public concerns or opinions.  The mixture is quite unique in the fact that the two philosophies blend in almost perfectly.  According to Reporters Without Borders, Portugal has a rating of 40 meaning that out all the countries in the world, it is the 40th safest country to report in.

Freedom in the media is generated from the freedoms granted in the Constitution for Portugal.  It is very similar to the Constitution of the United States in regards to the basic freedoms it provides.  Freedom of speech, religion, to organize, and collectively bargain.  There are certain restrictions mainly regarding the religion aspect.  For example, according to FreedomHouse.org, a "religion" cannot be openly practiced unless it has been established in the country for at least 30 years.  With a new and shifting media, the Internet is rarely restricted.  The only time such technology (computers) are restricted is when the government asks to confiscate them for sources. 

The latest incident occurred in August of 2010 when privacy and reporting came together.  This case resulted in the fine of 1.5 million Euros on Lisbon Weekly.  Publication of the transcripts of phone tapping operations is often a matter of great public interest and is one of the cornerstones of investigative journalism.  To read the full article you can click on this link, Judicial Harassment Case.  Another reported incident was in 2006 when a court rejected  an appeal by a couple of journalists to keep their computers protecting their right to their sources.  According to Reporters Without Borders, a reporter was sentenced to an 11-month suspension for not revealing his sources in a drug case.  These examples show that reporters are free to report but revealing sources seems to be a big issue.  

Side Note:

World Audit.org also has ranked the "freedom of media" in the countries in the world.  Lower scores on this website are better than higher numbers.  Regarding press freedom, Portugal is ranked 10 and democracy rating is 18.  Having a score from 1-30 is seen as being a more "free" media.  The link I am going to give you has the country's world democracy audit, press freedom, corruption, civil liberties, and political rights ratings. World Audit Ratings-Portugal