At the most basic level the media perform the role of one of the oldest crafts in the world � that of the storyteller. This link between the media and the individual and the wider community, especially fellow citizens in a national context, can and does work both ways: Readers/listeners/viewers are not just passive consumers of what the media offer them. They also make their own voices and opinions heard � on letters pages, in talk shows and other interactive programmes and a growing multitude of internet forums. All in all, �the media� are democracy in action. Just like in any successful democracy, the more voices that are heard, the better. And just like the purpose of law generally in a democratic society is to enable all citizens to live a full and dignified life and exercise their rights while not violating those of others in the process, the same principle applies in the case of any legislated regulation of the media. Media law must be enabling, meant to make sure that the media paint as full a picture of life in all its facets as possible - that all stories worth telling do indeed get told. The rights and sometimes widely divergent interests of the media, the public and the authorities need to be balanced and accommodated. Naturally, there is bound to be friction and it will erupt from time to time. A common understanding of the rules of the game, and, if necessary, a few basic legal provisions and guidelines will help to keep the friction manageable.