"THE CONSOLIDATION OF THE CONCEPT OF PRESS FREEDOM WITHIN THE MONGOLIAN MEDIA SYSTEM"

This article explores the early intellectual roots of press freedom in Mongolia by analyzing Ulsyn Erkh (The Power of the State), a 1914 treatise by Jamsrangiin Tseveen-one of Mongolia’s earliest public intellectuals and legal thinkers. Through qualitative documentary analysis, the study identifies core liberal principles embedded in Tseveen’s work, including the rights to free speech, publication, and public discourse. The findings reveal that these ideas anticipated Mongolia’s later constitutional guarantees of press freedom and challenge the dominant narrative that such concepts were only introduced after the 1990 democratic revolution. The research situates Tseveen’s text within the broader context of early 20th-century Mongolian political awakening and national sovereignty, highlighting the development of an indigenous legal consciousness. By revisiting this foundational work, the study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the historical development of press freedom in Mongolia and affirms the enduring relevance of Tseveen’s ideas in contemporary legal and journalistic discourse.