Freedom from some consequences, yes, but it's secondary. The primary meaning is the ability to say things to the public. In the Soviet bloc all media were stat

Freedom from some consequences, yes, but it's secondary. The primary meaning is the ability to say things to the public. In the Soviet bloc all media were state controlled and even xerox machines and typewriters were tightly controlled. It was non-trivial to even publish something (not to say there weren't consequences).