The fundamental elements of a liberal democracy are regular elections, a parliament exercising control over the government within the framework of the law, and individual freedoms such as free debate, freedom of association and the right to demonstrate (Carter & Stokes, 2002). Regular elections should include competitiveness between parties to maintain fair elections and voters should be aware of their interests. Furthermore, as Carter and Stokes (2002) state, there should be “a parliament capable of exercising control over the government and all this happens within the rule of law” (p. 10). A liberal democracy should include broad freedoms of speech, press (all media properties), association, movement, thought and belief, assembly and protest, and linguistic and cultural expression. These freedoms can also be referred to as “individual freedoms,” the purpose of which is better understood through media properties. Crowley (2011) states that “a free and vibrant press plays an important role around the world in the development of civil society and accountable governments” and continues with a broader rule: “the freer the press, the more the government is likely to be transparent and democratic.” be." (Section Importance of a Free and Vibrant Press, paragraph 4). If the press is free and committed to promoting freedom of expression, the fundamental steps necessary for the formation of a true civil society can be An example is that of the former Yugoslavia where the growth of independent media helped change a country, "contributing to the dynamic that led to the end of Slobodan Milosevic's regime and his transfer to The Hague where he died in prison while facing charges for crimes against humanity” (Importance of a Free and Vibrant Press section, paragraph 6)... middle of newspaper.. .... the lack of media coverage during the Gezi Park protests in June 2013 (Fraser, 2013 Works citedFraser, S. (July 26, 2013) after the dismissal of journalist Yavuz Baydar for an editorial in the New). York Times. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/26/yavuz-baydar-fired-turkey-freedom-press_n_3660955.html United Nations General Assembly, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 10 December 1948, 217 A (III), available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6b3712c.html [accessed December 2, 2013] Hutton W. (2008). The writing on the wall: China and the West in the 21st century. London: Abacus. John Street (2011). Mass media, politics and democracy. London: Palgrave Macmillan. Michael Schudson (2008). Why democracies need an unfriendly press. Cambridge: Polity Press. Dennis, EE and Snyder, RW (eds.). (1998) Media and democracy. New Jersey, NJ: Transaction Publishers.