Universal Access to Information: A Right or a Privilege?

Hey #YugenCommunity and welcome to another week on our forum! Can you believe it’s only been less than a month since we relaunched our Forum? Me either!

Yesterday, we celebrated the International Day of Universal Access to Information and this year focused on the right to information in times of crisis. In yesterday’s blog, one of our bloggers Rhianna, highlighted that millions of people worldwide do not have access to information and, when it comes to the Caribbean, fake news prevents us from accessing accurate information. If you haven’t checked out yesterday’s blog you really should and I’ve added the link below for easy access 😊

https://www.yugencaribbean.com/post/true-or-false-international-day-for-universal-access-to-accurate-information

But today, I want to focus on whether this universal access to information is a right or a privilege in today’s society. But, to be able to answer that question, we first need to define the difference between a right and a privilege.

A right can broadly be defined as an entitlement to something as enshrined in a country’s constitution, an international treaty or by international law, whereas a privilege is a right or benefit enjoyed by a particular person or a restricted group of people beyond the advantages of most people.

Given those definitions, tell me below: Is the universal access to information a right or a privilege in today’s society?

-Daniella K