The Public Sphere

This Pillar considers whether the media, from conventional newspapers through to television and radio, and onto to the Internet, are creating and sustaining spaces for open democratic debate and mobilisation among all people, and providing the information and tools needed to enable civil society to participate in political process and deliberations . It thus includes the critical areas of freedom of expression in general, of press and media freedom; of the availability of information of relevance to the public interest from public and corporate sources, and of the conditions to secure plurality and diversity of the media.

A1: Is freedom of expression available to all people, in law and in practice?
A2: Is there freedom of the press and media, including the electronic media?
A3: Is there access to and ready available of public and government information?
A4: Is there access to corporate information, where relevant to issues of public interest?
A5: Is there diversity of content in the media, and plurality of media sources?