Media Freedom and the Law: The Regulation of a Common European Idea

The main objectives of media regulation in Europe are to protect media freedom, to ensure the social responsibility of the media, and to prevent harm caused by speech published through the media.This book examines the way in which these are reflected in European legal regimes and jurisprudence at the supranational, regional, and national levels. It addresses the theoretical considerations behind the protection and restriction of media freedom.It starts from the assumption that there is a common European ideal of media freedom as a human right.Apart from EU law, and in many cases similar national regulations, many common points can be identified across Europe in the theoretical underpinnings of this right, and the history of struggles for this freedom in different European countries also shows common features. While the focus is on media freedom in Europe, the work also discusses the uniquely distinct concept of freedom of expression and of the media that is prevalent in the US, the pri