We must appreciate that journalism is different from every other profession. It is the only profession that takes its essence from a globally recognized human right. Because of its link with the right to freedom of expression, which is a right inherent in every member of society, and depends for its survive on the free exchange and competition of information, opinion and ideas, journalism cannot be equated with other professions which merely grant a service to the public through the application of knowledge acquired in a university or through some other training. We must stop trying to be like doctors, lawyers, engineers, or any other professional body. It is laudable for any association to seek to improve the level of education of its members. It is also the right of every association to maintain a register of its members. But in my view, such a register should never be the basis for determining who is entitled to exercise and enjoy a guaranteed human right or for excluding people from enjoying the right. We, in fact, have no right to exclude anyone from exercising his“freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.” (Emphasis mine). By seeking, as members of the profession seem to be doing, to introduce a system of regulation, which prevents other people from gathering¸ processing, publishing or disseminating information unless they have attained a certain minimum educational level and are registered(which really amounts to licensing) to do so, we will be excluding the vast majority of the society, who may also wish to gather, process, publish or disseminate information¸ from the enjoyment of this right and thereby violating their rights to freedom of expression. This issue has actually been submitted for judicial decision and I will quote some passage from the judgment of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which decided the case that arose from Costa Rica. The Court said: “It has been argued that what the compulsory licensing(registration, in this case) of journalists seeks to achieve is to protect a paid occupation and that it is not directed against the exercise of freedom of expression as long as it does not involve remuneration …. This argument is based on a distinction between See the guarantees contained in Article 19(2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.