An-Najah Staff

Mass media issues are diversified. They encompass legal and ethical sides. Because of their interpretative and philosophical nature, they are still without a clear and specified concept. What complicates the subject more is the acceleration in media technology. Naturally, with every invention comes legal and ethical issues concerning the rule of media in the society and their relations with the people and government. Also, the bad use of the media, as was the case during World Wars I and II, increases people’s need for a diversification in information and its sources, so that people can benefit from it in all aspects of their lives. As a result, many voices have risen, calling for people’s “rights” to communicate, to know, and to express their opinions. Because of the particularity of every political system, every state differently perceives such “rights,” based on its own understanding of the meaning of freedom and communication concepts. A democratic society, as an example, considers one of these rights, people’s right to know, as its basic pillar in which the will of the people is the utmost principle for power, ruling, and decision–making. For the people to be able to choose their representatives rightly, all information sources must be available to them. In this case, people will be able to do their rule in the society. A democratic government is for the people and by the people. So, an individual has the right to know what his/her government is doing, because such activities touches his/her life directly or indirectly. This research thoroughly discusses and explains the developments and stages which this media issue has passed through until today.