Although there is no explicit legal endorsement, except in doctrinal texts and theories [1], the right to information is conceived as “a universal, inviolable and unchangeable right of modern man. This is both an active and passive right: on the one hand, the search for information and, on the other hand, the possibility for all to receive it [2]”. In other words, “the right to information is the fundamental right of the individual and the community to know and make knowing what is going on and what is interesting to know [3]”. It is therefore up to the State and the administrations to ensure its respect in particular regarding access to public documents. Yet, although considered as a fundamental right, it refers more to values and is likely to have a plurality of acceptance of its meaning, and thus its sanction. It is also limited by the respect of other fundamental rights.
Moreover, it cannot be envisaged by actors of social transformation as inseparable from the right to inform or otherwise than as a component of a broader dimension: the right to communicate [4].
Right to information and right to inform