Abstract
Even though freedom of the press is not absolute and must be balanced with other interests, it is often accorded decisive weight over other rights. Deriving from freedom of expression, freedom of the press belongs to a genus of "heavyweight" rights beneficial to society as a whole. The status of the right in a democratic society was considered in Klein v. Slovakia, a recent decision of the European Court of Human Rights. This case concerned alleged Slovakian interference with freedom of expression under article 10 of European Convention on Human Rights.
Full PaperJernej Letnar Černič
Senior Research Associate
Jernej Letnar Černič is Associate Professor of Human Rights Law at the Graduate School of Government and European Studies (Ljubljana and Kranj, Slovenia)
Summary
Even though freedom of the press is not absolute and must be balanced with other interests, it is often accorded decisive weight over other rights. Deriving from freedom of expression, freedom of the press belongs to a genus of "heavyweight" rights beneficial to society as a whole. The status of the right in a democratic society was considered in Klein v. Slovakia, a recent decision of the European Court of Human Rights. This case concerned alleged Slovakian interference with freedom of expression under article 10 of European Convention on Human Rights.
