This paper consists of five chapters, a conclusion and references.The first chapter is Introduction, which defines the topics that are dealt with. It is followed by a chapter The media and society, which is about the relationship between the different media and their influence on society. The following chapter is entitled Professional standards in journalism and new media, which deals with the professional norms and relevant guidelines that have to be followed in journalism. This chapter also contains platforms, the function of which is to provide information in modern society, as well as cases when some of the standards were violated. Legislative framework of the freedom of speech in Croatia gives stipulations from The Constitution of the Republic of Croatia which regulate journalists' rights and responsibilities, as well as examples and cases which illustrate their violation. Case studies of violation of the freedom of speech in Croatia is the last chapter, which, in detail, analyses the case studies in which freedom of speech has been violated to a certain degree; various sources for information are used to that end.