General Considerations In democratic states, the press plays an important role in holding public authorities (executive, legislative, judicial) accountable for their actions It also plays an important role in the political education of the citizens This is why press freedom can be restricted only in certain cases (i.e. publishing something that would endanger public safety)

Press Freedom and Responsibility In Romania, freedom of the press and the freedom to fund publications are protected by the constitution. At the same time press organizations have to prove that they are responsible. This includes a story must be confirmed by more than one source before it can be published the information being published should not be designed to manipulate public opinion the facts must be reported in an accurate manner most stories have multiple perspectives, a good reporter will make clear whose perspective he or she is reporting or try to convey the perspective of all the main actors involved in the story

Limits on Press Freedom Non-democratic regimes control the press through censorship. In short, the mass media can only report stories or news that that meet with the approval of the authorities By contrast, democratic regimes practice censorship only in extreme cases, such as when protecting public safety or state secrets In democratic regimes, the freedom of the press comes with the right to reply (dreptul la replica). If the press reports negatively about a person, that person has the right to publish a response presenting their point of view. Likewise, if a person feels their actions have been misrepresented in the press, that person has the right to seek redress through the courts