Communication Research

Right to Know as the Fundamental Right of the Audience

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Mohsen Esmaili

Associate Prof. In Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22082/cr.2022.555784.2371
Abstract
"The right to know" is one of the fundamental rights that is recognized for humanity, including media audiences. This right has been specified and emphasized in international, regional and national documents, and for this reason there is no doubt about its legitimacy. Of course, they often raise this right in the field of political and social information and as a prerequisite for the realization of democracy, and they seek to prevent tyranny and corruption by making people aware of the decisions and actions of governments and having the possibility of monitoring and criticizing them. From it, like monopolization, profiteering and rent-seeking. But "the right to know" in this sense is emphasized not only in Islamic sources and texts, but in a broader interpretation, it includes the fact that a person consciously chooses and determines his destiny in any field. So, this right is actually the prelude to the basic right to self-determination. This is where the relationship between consciousness and the right to choose and will is raised and questioned as a criterion for the superiority of man and his caliphate on earth. By explaining this matter, the present article aims to reveal the relationship between duty and the right to know, and especially to talk about the right of a person to make a conscious choice in the Qur'an and the Sunnah. The effects of accepting such a right are also stated below, and of course, it will be sought in the constitution and other national laws.

Keywords

Right to Know
Right to Self-Determination
Audience Rights
Media Rights
Subjects
The Holy Quran
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  • Receive Date 14 June 2022
  • Revise Date 13 August 2022
  • Accept Date 06 September 2022

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