The freedoms of expression and of the press are basic pillars of
the western democracies. The contemporary theoretical framework
which gives support to these rights was generated in the wake of the
liberal revolutions which took place in Western Europe and in North
America starting from the second half of the 1600s. Our purpose
in this text is to present the current scene regarding this topic,
focusing whenever pertinent on the Brazilian case, and seeking to
question the unconditional defense of the freedoms of expression
and of the press made by the thinkers who founded these principles
vis-á-vis contemporary issues of the communicational universe.
Going beyond theoretical-conceptual refl ections, we present and
analyze the results of a content analysis showing how 53 Brazilian
newspapers and 4 magazines with nationwide circulation report (or
not) topics relating to freedom of expression and of the press.
