This book is the result of a long-lasting interest in information and communication law, of various classes on this subject and of several conferences and presentations. Part I of the book builds on and further develops the ideas of an earlier article, ‘Theory and Doctrine of “Media Freedom” as a Legal Concept’ (2013) 5 Journal of Media Law 57. The law is up to date as of early November 2014.

I would like to thank many people who helped me to write this book: Kim Hughes and Richard Woodham at Cambridge University Press for their strong support of this project; the anonymous referees who offered comments on the article in the Journal of Media Law and on the manuscript; Claire Schreyer and Katrina Simpson for their invaluable research assistance; Kate Ollerenshaw for her thorough and very supportive copyediting and proofreading; and my former colleagues at King's College London The Dickson Poon School of Law and my colleagues at Leiden University, Faculty of Humanities, for making my academic life inspiring and rewarding.

Last but not least I wish to thank Eva: this book is as much yours as it is mine.