Freedom of the Media
Freedom of the media means that the web stays in the hands of the people. This page explains the value of free media and the tools that make it accessible.
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Free Media
Free media or freedom of the media allows for the open exchange of media without censorship. Some of the most popular free media platforms include Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, & X (previously Twitter). However, it is important to question whether these platforms are truly free. These for-profit companies often have a political agenda even if it is not apparent. They can use their algorithm to dictate what kind of media is being promoted on the platform and what is being hidden.
In many cases this means political media is restricted, propaganda is prevalent, biased news is all too common, and thousands of voices go unheard. It is vital that free media is protected and advocated for to promote a balance of power, accountability, and freedom of speech internationally. It is called the world wide web after all.
1 - No Censorship 11 - Strict Censorship
Data Source: Comparitech
Map Of Censorship Severity
Resources like Wikimedia means that people have access to media, data, and discoveries that they would have otherwise never been exposed to. Despite efforts from organizations like Wikimedia, media censorship is still a global issue.
Disclaimer: Wikimedia logos are a trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation and is used with the permission of the Wikimedia Foundation. We are not endorsed by or affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation. All content is purely for educational purposes in line with the Wikimedia Foundation's mission of defending free expression.
"We help everyone share in the sum of all knowledge." -Wikimedia Foundation
What is Wikimedia?
The Wikimedia Foundation or Wikimedia for short is a non-profit organization that hosts 14 of the largest free knowledge projects in the world. Many of these projects are user-based and allow anyone to contribute their knowledge. They connect millions of people around the world with access to media, data, news, language, and more.
Note that Wikimedia is not affiliated with Wikileaks.
PROJECTS
fact-checked commercial news.
To keep these projects running and remain a neutral point of view platform, users share unified missions in their contributions.
MISSIONS
According to the Wikimedia Foundation
- Defending free expression
- Advancing better internet regulations
- Promoting open copyright licenses
- Upholding human rights
- Protecting Privacy
- Fighting disinformation
Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons is a Wikimedia Project that hosts free media contributed by users. Media exists under a variety of classifications like images, audio, video, and other file types. Wikimedia is an entirely user-ran site meaning it is up to users to contribute media for the project to continue.
Some people upload files that they don't own the copyright licenses to. While this is illegal, discouraged, and moderated, sometimes stolen files go overlooked. When surfing media for your own use, it is important to do your own due diligence on each file you pick.
These are exemplary Wikimedia files released under a variety of licenses. Click on an image to view its attribution.
Watch out!
When exploring any user moderated platform be cautious of accidentally running into NSFW content.
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Gribkov, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Karin Beate Nøsterud/norden.org, CC BY 2.5 DK https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/dk/deed.en, via Wikimedia Commons
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Wilfredor, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Daisuke tashiro from Japan, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
While Wikimedia Commons features media from all parts of the world including Antarctica, most visits on the site happen in the United States with 25,000,000 visits.
Countries With the Most Visits on Wikimedia Commons
From November 2022 to November 2023
This data does not include visitors who were not users.
After learning about the massive span of Wikimedia Commons, many users are eager to share their favorite media that they've found on the platform. Others are more excited to contribute their own works to the project. Either way, users will need to develop an understanding of media licensing before they can share or contribute media.
Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to promoting an understanding of open access literature and media. CC licensing provides free access to creative works that would otherwise be copyrighted. There are a variety of open licenses that media can be released under from works that still require attribution to works that are free to use for any purpose. All works made in 1927 and before are automatically in the public domain. To get a further idea of the complex nature of media licensing, it is encouraged that you visit the Creative Commons site.
Disclaimer: While a brief overview of each license is provided, this information is not intended to cover all factors of copyright licensing as there are many complex aspects. This information was collected as part of an educational project. No information on this page acts as legal advice nor does it establish a lawyer client relationship. Seek professional advising for appropriate guidance.
Symbols
to Know
When Giving
Proper Attribution
Works that you can copy, distribute, display, perform, and make derivative works & remixes. You must give proper attribution to the work's creator and provide a link to the BY license.
You must release derivative works under the same license the the original content was released under.
You may copy, distribute, display, perform the work and make derivative works and remixes based on it for non-commercial purposes. purposes.
You may copy, distribute, display and perform only copies of the work. You may not transform, remix or adapt the work.
You may copy, distribute, display, perform the work and make derivative works and remixes based on it for any purposes without attribution.
You may copy, distribute, display, perform the work and make derivative works and remixes based on it for any purposes without attribution.
A public copyright license allowing for the free distribution of copyrighted work.
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