ABSTRACT
This chapter unpacks some of the developments and the response of UNESCO, the lead UN agency dealing with the right to free expression. Even though 'media' has changed, the degree to which a society has a rich and open information environment nevertheless continues to depend on the conditions for freedom of expression in both sender and receiver dimensions – that is, press freedom and the right to information, and this combination retains relevance. This analytical framework provides a context for understanding how freedom of expression has evolved within UNESCO. The term 'social media' came into use in the 21st century to capture this new development. Since then, the mass media industry, in both old and new formations, has increasingly spawned integrations with this sphere. The two interdependent and changing dimensions of freedom of expression – press freedom and the right to information – are prominently intertwined with the right to privacy in the digital age.
