Freedom of the media derives from the right to hold opinions and to express them and to the free flow of information and ideas across borders through any media.  In the Helsinki Final Act, the participating states committed themselves to improve the dissemination of newspapers and similar printed material and to improve the working conditions for journalists.

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media works to ensure the safety of journalists, assist with the development of media pluralism online and offline, and promote decriminalization of defamation. Helsinki Commissioners have paid particular attention to the problem of impunity for those who murder journalists, attacks on or imprisonment of journalists for their professional activities, and provisions of law that inherently violate free speech norms including criminal defamation and insult laws.