Free Press

42% of countries worldwide, it is estimated, do not have a free press nor give people access to unbiased news.

It could be questioned whether our news is ever unbiased, for it is hard for it not to be. Most people know a paper by its political colour and I changed my Saturday choice because of its sudden change of allegiance last year. With the internet it is easier now than ever before to discern all sides of a particular story and to come to ones own conclusion about it and most blogs contain something of that personal conclusion. Yet what ever we write is going to be biased in some way, we all have likes and dislikes, heros and villains, beliefs and principals, free speech brings with it biased opinions. It's hard to remain neutral anymore or to avoid being judged if that is the intention.

Yet, what is meant by the 42% are those who are vetod in their free speech; those who are fed only one line - the party one; those who are punished for speaking out or speaking against. The internet too is helping the otherwise helpless and voiceless to communicate to the rest of the world, but that also can be censored, or just not available.

We all need a voice...and the freedom to decide what we will listen to. I will only give 20p today as I just buy two newspapers in a week (one national and one local) - not much to pay for the freedom I have to choose them and read them.