Freedom (of the Press) and Peace Are Not Ideological but Scientific Facts

MEDIA, 11 May 2026

Alejandro A. Tagliavini – TRANSCEND Media Service

4 May 2026 – When people give their opinion on social or individual behaviour, science is often mixed with ideology. “Objective”, real data are usually mixed with desires, imagination, expectations.

Science – as described by Jacques Maritain, for example – is the study of the laws of nature, such as the law of gravity. That is, it is the analysis of how (and why) the cosmos, the natural order, is organized. Everything else, I insist, is ideology, that is, constructions of our imagination.

Now, science says that violence is always destructive because it is, precisely, the extrinsic force of the being (violated), of its nature, which seeks to divert its spontaneous becoming (intrinsic, according to its own forces). Ergo, freedom, and its correlate peace, is the absence of that violence, so that the being can develop from its intrinsic powers in accordance with its free will.

Thus, from the scientific point of view, without entering into the field of Theology or Metaphysics – questions of faith or potential – for science, freedom is the absence of coercion (violence) that prevents people from moving and developing according to their own means and decisions. Freedom is peace and it is enhanced by clear and transparent information.

From all that has been said, it emerges that freedom is only one, it is freedom. It makes no sense to study it in different areas as if it could isolate itself from others, it makes no sense to say that someone can be free economically but not socially or informationally.

Therefore, freedom is only one both in the economic sphere and in the press or in any other personal or social activity. In fact, many times the impossibility of expressing themselves of many sectors or people has to do with their economic or legal incapacity due to the coercion of the State.

Beyond the fact that those who favor official propaganda are always benefited by bureaucrats and the opponents are economically punished, the strong tax pressure – based on the State monopoly of violence – and various regulations prevent those with scarce resources from being able to express their points of view.

I insist, there is only one freedom, there is no freedom of the press without economic freedom, when a journalist is prevented from working, his economic freedom is being prevented and when societies are forced to pay very high taxes that make it impossible for the poorest to create companies, the possibility of establishing small journalism companies is being restricted.

Anne Bocandé, editorial director of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), wrote, when presenting the latest report on press freedom in the world, that

“… attacks on the right to information… diversify and… its authors are no longer hidden: authoritarian states, complicit or ineffective political powers, predatory economic actors and platforms that have become uncontrollable… Given this… active protection policies are indispensable, and these must be promoters.”

It is not clear what she means by “active protection policies” but if she wants the State to use its power of coercion – its monopoly on violence – to implement “protection” measures, she would be entering the ideological field, ignoring science.

The RSF report says that in the 25 years that it has published the World Press Freedom Index, freedom of information has been deteriorating, and journalists continue to be killed or imprisoned. Norway tops the rankings for the tenth consecutive year, while Eritrea consolidates in last place (180th).

RSF says that the deterioration is explained by armed conflicts. In Iran (177) given the regime’s strong repression and the war being waged by the United States and Israel on its territory. Russia (172), which continues its war against Ukraine. Other conflicts such as in Yemen (164), Iraq (162), Sudan (161) and the one being waged by Benjamin Netanyahu, which has claimed the lives of more than 220 journalists in Gaza since October 2023.

In other cases, the situation remains unchanged due to dictatorial regimes such as in North Korea (179), China (178) and in Nicaragua (168) where the media landscape is simply in ruins, victim of systematic repression. Turkey (163) is perhaps the most symptomatic example of abuse of State laws such as “anti-terrorism“, accusations of “disinformation” (the fashionable slogan to silence press freedom), “insults to the president” or “denigration of State institutions”.

Venezuela (159) remains mired in great uncertainty regarding the guarantees of freedom of information. El Salvador (143) has fallen a lot since the beginning of “the war against the maras.” Finally, according to the RSF report, Argentina falls 11 places to 98th, “due, among other factors… to the increase in hostility and government pressure towards the press.”

Donald Trump, the RSF report continues, has made attacks on the press a systematic practice, which has relegated the country to 64th place. The arrest of Salvadoran journalist Mario Guevara, followed by his deportation, reflects the deterioration already affected by violent police repressions.

But then the report criticizes “the drastic staff cuts of the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM)” and here RSF does show its ideologization, because these agencies have not arisen spontaneously from society, from people, but have been created by the State in a coercive way, paid for by the taxes that the government coercively demands from citizens (backed by its monopoly on violence).

For its part, The Heritage Foundation (THF) is also ideologized. For example, in its Economic Freedom Index, it assesses as positive the stricter the State is in terms of “intellectual property” laws, in other words, the more the State represses those who arrived late to the patent office, they say that there is more “freedom” which is obviously an incongruity with what science says:  Freedom is the absence of coercion (violence) on people.

Even so, taking into account the ideologization of both institutions and the fact that these measurements are never very precise, the maps drawn up by them (RSF, THF) show in broad strokes something that cannot be disguised, where there is more economic freedom, there is more freedom of the press, or what is the same, where there is more freedom, precisely, there is more freedom, excuse the redundancy. China, Cuba, Venezuela, Algeria, Iran, Sudan, etc. are in red on both maps, the Scandinavian countries in green, and practically all of Europe in yellow.

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Alejandro A. Tagliavini – As a young man, I graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Buenos Aires, but later took various courses in philosophy, economics, and social sciences. I was a member of the Department of Economic Policy at the School of Economics and Business Administration. I currently work in private investment and academic activities. Since 2006, I have been a member of the Advisory Board of the prestigious Center on Global Prosperity at The Independent Institute in Oakland, California, USA. I have lectured at prestigious institutions around the world, such as the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Rome). I have received several honorary degrees, including the “Guardian of the Treasury” award from the Governor of the State of New Mexico, USA. @alextagliavini – www.alejandrotagliavini.com

This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 11 May 2026.

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