MIDNIGHT!/ Sunday, April 29, 2007
Consider the merits and demerits of censorship and state the reason why you think it is necessary or not.
The issue on censorship is surely a controversial one, sometimes it is used too much, other times too little. Where do we draw the line between the two? Typically Censorship is controlled by the government, mass media or religious groups in certain countries. It is closely linked to concepts of freedom of speech and freedom of expression, however when overused it is associated with dictatorship, human rights abuse and repression.
Censorship can be categorize into five main types, namely moral, military, political, religious and corporate censorship.
Moral censorship is the means by which any material deemed to be of questionable morality is removed or cut. For example, Pornography is often censored under this rationale. Materials displaying excessive use of violence are also censored for this same reason. So i would have to say moral censorship is definitely necessary to prevent the young from being exposed to such things at such a young age.
MIlitary censorship is the process of withhelding military intelligence or tactics. For example, in the Iraq war the US govenrment has restricted the photographing or filming of dead soliders or their caskets and its subsequent broadcast. This is done to protect national security but many people feel that the citizens of the US deserve the right to know what they are paying all their taxes for. Funding a war where the progress is uncertain and information is scarce. Despite many other democratic nations supporting the notion, i feel that it is unnessary to practice censorship to such a degree for lives are at stake.
Political censorship occurs when governments are holding back information from their own citizens. The logic is to prevent revolts as any dissent against the government is seen as a weakness for the enemy to exploit. This is necessary in order to ensure national security as a country must always appear stable and safe even if its not the case.
Religious censorship is the means by which any material goes against the preachings of a dominant religion. Limitations are usually forced on the less dominant religions by the more dominant ones. This form of censorship is not necessary as people should be free to believe in what they want and to say what they want as long as it is not morally wrong.
Corporate Censorship is when companies prevent articles or materials which potray them in a negative light from being published. This is unethical as the truth should be revealed to the public so that the public will know where they are putting their money in.
In conclusion, i believe that no fine line can be drawn between too much or too little censorship. Different context requires different levels of censorship which is why i feel that it is definitely neccessary but the degree of censorship has to be varied.
Damnit, it ain't meant to be.
6:34 PM <3
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MIDNIGHT!/ Sunday, April 22, 2007
The media has a whole bag full of devices and methods to implement for the sole purpose of disguising opinion as facts in order to stir anguish and to create controversy amongst the citizens. One such device is the media's usage of subjective perception. When the news of the Singapore swimmers were released to the public, stating that the swimmers were mocking and gloating at the American relay team following their disqualification. However the truth could have been that the Singapore team were merely smiling in disbelief at seeing their toughest competetitors being taken out of the race. It is hard to believe that such a small matter can have so huge an impact on the world. The issue is even being publicised in America by magazines, this can have serious detrimental effects on Singapore's bilateral ties with America. An official inquiry regarding the incident has started and if found guilty, the Singapore team will have to make a public apology to the American team.
Such irresponsible use of the pen by the reporter is extremely disturbing, that by merely stating their own opinion, they are able to stir up feelings in the masses and in a way, control their emotions. The use of the media will have to be controlled and they cannot be allowed to write anything which they want just for financial reasons. However, we cannot blame the reporter entirely as he/she did not force anyone of us to believe it, rather we choose to believe it by simply reading the article. We should not go a step too far ahead of ourselves and instead read other sources before reaching a conclusion.
Damnit, it ain't meant to be.
9:29 AM <3
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