Media Censorship
- arcrchk
- Jan 30, 2023
- 3 min read
By: Anu Subramanian Senthilkannan
Everyone knows what media is. Media refers to any channel of mass communication, like advertising, broadcasting, publishing, etc. But, what exactly is censorship? According to Cambridge Dictionary, censorship means “the action of preventing part or the whole of a book, film, work of art, document, or other kind of communication from being seen or made available to the public, because it is considered to be offensive or harmful”.
While at first glance, this may seem like a really good idea, there are arguments that this is not entirely a good idea. It is being argued that like everything in the world, this also has disadvantages which we must consider before making a decision about whether or not media censorship is right.
Media censorship is a good idea because it offers a way to restrict or even prohibit access to material that may harm young people permanently. Most Internet users are prudent and have the common sense to not post content that the general public would judge as inappropriate but the key term here is most. Not all Internet users are like this. That is why media censorship is such an important measure to take, it helps safeguard the young people of the world from the less prudent Internet users.
Another big advantage is that it can be challenging to distinguish between authentic and false news due to the number of news media websites online. There are now more new outlets on the internet besides the well-known ones like CNN, Fox, and CNBC. There are a lot of websites that make money by posting incorrect or misleading information online, with no other intention but to make money. A media censorship scheme might most certainly decrease the spread of false information. Ripoff Report, a well-known review website, is among the greatest cases of false news. This website allows unhappy consumers to post their unflattering reviews anonymously. So, people who get their information from this website are obviously going to be wrongly informed because all the news on this website is biased meaning that not all of it is true.
Media censorship is a bad idea because when internet filtering is put into place, the quantity of true, accurate news that is disseminated online will be significantly constrained. Every day, people are taken into custody for spreading offensive and unlawful information online. Even liking a Facebook post or leaving a blog comment might get you into serious legal problems. In 2016, arrests were made in 38 different nations as a result of social media content. Online activity is dominated by social media, which has billions of users everyday on various platforms. False information, negative comments, or libelous claims will almost certainly find their way onto these sites, perhaps harming your reputation. Nevertheless, the right to free speech is fundamental on these platforms, which present themselves as supporters of unrestricted speech. Any attempt to stop honest dialogue might hinder the flow of knowledge.
Another big disadvantage of media censorship is that nowadays, our economy is producing an increasing number of entrepreneurs. The ability of these enterprises to freely advertise themselves is crucial given that the number of beginning businesses is at an all-time high. Due to the unrestricted flow of information, the internet has emerged as a major economic force. Increasing internet filtering might have disastrous effects on neighborhood companies, possibly excluding them from potential commercial prospects. Losing the ability to do internet business might have catastrophic consequences for the economy of the country.
Security is frequently prioritized over freedom by those who want to restrict free speech online, while opponents of media censorship insist that internet users should have the option to decide what can and cannot be posted online. Free expression is crucial, but it must be safeguarded against misuse.
In conclusion, this whole topic is not completely black and white, there are shades of grey. Each person’s opinion will differ based on what they make of these advantages and disadvantages of media censorship. What is your opinion, reader? Do you think that media censorship is a good thing or a bad thing?
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