Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials. While such freedom mostly implies the absence of interference from an overreaching state, its preservation may be sought through constitutional or other legal protections.

With respect to governmental information, any government may distinguish which materials are public or protected from disclosure to the public based on classification of information as sensitive, classified or secret and being otherwise protected from disclosure due to relevance of the information to protecting the national interest. Many governments are also subject to sunshine laws or freedom of information legislation that are used to define the ambit of national interest.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference, and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers"

The Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is owned by Fairfax Media.

The Press was first published on 25 May 1861 from a small cottage in Montreal Street, making it the oldest surviving newspaper in the South Island of New Zealand. The first edition was a six page tabloid and was sold for sixpence. The paper continued as a weekly with the driving force behind the paper being James Edward Fitzgerald. On 13 June 1863, the first part of Samuel Butler's Erewhon appeared in the Press Newspaper in an article signed Cellarius and headed "Darwin among the Machines."

In 1905, The Press purchased a block of the Cathedral Square site for £4,000. The Board then purchased the right of way (Press Lane) and what was going to be the original Theatre Royal site from the Theatre Royal Syndicate for £5000. The Gothic part of the Press building was occupied by the company until 22 February 2011, was built starting in 1907 and the Press staff shifted into it in February 1909 from their Cashel Street premises.