MASS–MEDIA DIN SUA ÎNTRE LIBERTATE ŞI CONSTRÂNGERE

Victoria BULICANU Catedra Jurnalism

Rezumat

The legal background of the American press is not settled in a special Press Law. The press, considered to be the most free in the entire world activates, actually, in an absence of this law. Though the Federal Constitution of the United States of America, as well as the Constitutions’ documents of those almost 50 states apart, contain different decisions and stipulations, concerning the American press. The issue presents different evidences of the fact that American journalists are the real owners of the total freedom of expressing different critical comments and ideas addressed to the state authorities of first importance. Anyway, I’ve decided to accentuate the fact that reporters from this country are limited in their expression and the material reveals the type of these limits and their origin. In the article are presented also several scandalous judicial processes with the American press unities’ involvement which broke out so many society controversies. Later the Congress of the USA adopted several new decisions and legal stipulations made up for enlarging the possibilities of the press to express in a free way. The purpose of these decisions is to support such an important press’s right as the freedom of expressing different opinion, the right to make sometimes the mistakes when writing critical materials, containing even calumnies to the public authorities.