Free press important - BBC poll shows

    World opinion is divided on the importance of having a free press, according to a poll conducted for the BBC World Service.  
 
    Of those interviewed, 56% thought that freedom of the press was very important to ensure a free society.
 
    But 40% said it was more important to maintain social harmony and peace, even if it meant curbing the press’s freedom to report news truthfully.
 
    Pollsters interviewed 11,344 people in 14 countries for the survey.
 
    In most of the 14 countries surveyed, press freedom (including broadcasting) was considered more important than social stability.