Freedom of the press is the guarantee by a government of free public speech often through a state constitution
for its citizens, and associations of individuals extended to members of news gathering organizations, and
their published reporting.
It also extends to news gathering, and processes involved in obtaining information for the public
consumption.
With respect to governmental information a
government distinguishes which materials are public or protected from disclosure to the public
based on classification of information as sensitive, classified or secret and being otherwise
protected from disclosure due to relevance of the information to protecting the national interest. Many governments are also subject to sunshine laws or Freedom of Information Acts
that are used to define the ambit of national interest.
