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MEDIA AND CENSORSHIP
Students should take note ofthe extent to which media can affect or intluence the various levels ofsocietv from the many different perspectives.

students should also consider the implications of the voyeuristic nature of the media on personal freedom and the right io expression.
MEDIA 3 fotmst Print medio (anything in printed form), Broodcost medio (onything broodcosted over oirwoves) ond New Medio (onything thot does notJoll intothe obove 2 traditianat t'orms of media)

2 types. Govetnment cantrolled/reguloted ond independent (con include thase sponsored or operoted

by

1.

Entertainment value
However, such entertainment can sometiries be of harmful as it can djsable our creative and cognitive process- The nature ofsome forms of media leaves us with little or no time for reflection and instead manipulates us by replacing our interpretation with experience, cognition with perception.
ln the bid to entertain, and using that as an end to justifi/the means, nothingis spared. There are no sacred cows and eveMhing is sacrificed or used for lhe ultrmdie goal ol enLertdinment. Th;s in turn is related to revenue because in the world of

The media can provide endless hours of enteatainment, providing us options as to how to spend our leisure time_ Its nature allows it io satisfu our need for the fantastic and the realistic without having to experience it firsthand. Media such as books and magazines further forces the mind to reflect deeply and allows the imagination to run wildgiving the reader the chance to think critically, creatively and logically-

enierldrnment, dn),thing rhal r( unpopuldr i\ unsellable and anything that cannot be sold would no
longer be made.
EEi Consider the monner in which television shows hove evolved tothe reolity progroms ond prunks oJ todoy and how these shows seem ta hove a blotont disreqord for bosic humon respect, Even printed medio ond tabloids have storted oiring dirty laundry in place oJ the usuolthought provoking controvetsies. The rise ol the internet hos olso ollowedjust obout onyone to

shote just oboul onylhing undpr lhc guisp ol

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It increases
ou r loneli ness

through social isolation

and causes us to become antisocial oreven violent

There

is no dired link

between ma55 media and

antisocialbehaviour

Such behavior

environment, family, peer pressure, or other factors. Many antisocial people may not even watch TV, while others may claim it is responsible for their actions simply to avoid taking responsibility forthemselves. Psychologists claim that television does not have a simple, dired stimulus-response effect on its audiences. This can be illustrated by the example of lapan, where ry movies are famous for extreme violence, but the crime rate is low much lower than in many societies where TV viewing is relatively rare.
obsession & Repercussions Still, one cannot ignore the potent'al harm that media

is

usuallv determined

by

social

or otherwise. ln societies where people are surrounded bv media which is made readily available, there is a danger of becoming too q!99$9d and these can cause repercussions on the other aspects of their lives. Relationships, work, studies and even health can suffe. due to neglect. lncreases in the levels of childhood obesity, myopia and ADHD attention deficit hyperactive disorder can be attributed to the over exposure to certain types of media entertainment such as computer games and television programs.
can cause proven Perpetuation of Stereotypes Compartmentalisation of characteristics spawning the practice or habit of proflling which results in an overly

Correction of Stereotypes But not all programs or influences from the media are bad, the media can sometimes challenge or correct cultural/social stereotypes and have been doing so for a lonB time. Writers such as Sylvia Plath, Jane Austin and many others have been dispellingthe so-called norm for females for decades. Directors such as Zhang Yi Mo have
also challenged the gender stereotypes available.

simplistic outlook on life. Children may grow up believing that they need to behave or think in a certain manner in order to gain approval or popularity. Such perpetuation of stereotypes can easily lead to discrimination especially when subtle differenes are made more obvious through the exaggeration ofthese traits by the media.

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objectif ication of people Related to the perpetuation of stereotypes is also the objectification of people - women AND men. This can be commonly found in advertisements as they are specially catered to attract a niche audience and hence inay choose to enhance a certain feature oa body part to selltheir products. Dp5pite hdving viewer ddvi!ory mersages, the worry i! lhdt not ever/one ddheres to this and the concprn ij that the Voung mav start to have an increased awareness of their sexuality even before their bodies are physically ready- This may and can lead to early experimentation and more incidences of premarital

Although women have often been objectified by the media, men have also recently been included. While this reflects the changing roles that men and women play in society, such a change may not always be welcomed. lnstead of rejoicing at the fact that men have also been included in this form of degradation, we should bemoan the loss of a basic sort of respect

for humanity and mutual respect. The dangers in seeing people as object-is the distancing of real human emotions for others and hence a sort of
desensitisation to any sort of horror thai may and can

2.

be inflicted upon the other.

lnformation

Propaganda

The media as a source ofin{ormation Advertisements, as mentioned before can be entertaining,

Some may see advertisements

but they can also be informative. They are a way for consumers to find out more about their products. Furthermore, they can also be used rather effectively by aboard. Thus lending fuel government bodies and other groups or organizations to advertisements as propaganda.
promote their policy, product or even ideology. Advertisements aae also a good way for the government to spread public messages and educate the public or to simply keep them informed. How advertisements are viewed largely depends on the target audience, the message being passed on and the group/groups responsible for the advertisement. Hitle/s Propaganda Minister, loseph Goebbels, understood that
"To be perceived, propdgondd must evoke the intetest

propaganda and certainly, with the rise jn the use of media as an effective tool for communication many organizations and government bod;es have also come

as a form of

to the idea

of

Som may see the government's use of advertisements in the media as soft paternalistic
methods of persuasion especially ifthe message being promoted belongs to a minority or is not widely accepted by the larger community, ln extreme cases, propaganda can also 'brainwash' an individual or the society and cause them to conform to certain
behaviour.
Eg:

Hitle/s Mein Kampf, Mao's Great Leap Forward.

of

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an oudience and must be tronsmitted thtough
co mmuni cdti o ns

on

ottention-getting As consumers become a lot more educated, it becomes harder to persuade them.
But at the same time, advertisements themselves are also evolving and newar methods of persuasion are

med i u m."

being jnvented
clientele.

to

cater

to the more

intelligent

3.

Truth-Telling, Watchdog

& The

Press as

the 4"

One of the most important functions of the media is that ofThe Press which, is largely responsible for providing the individual with news/information about current affairs. The main value of the media in this area is that of TRUTH
TELLING. The primary duty that one would expect from the media, especially The Press is that of WATCHDOG/

Media Bias, over-sensationalizing or oversimplilying

o{ in{ormation

Guardian of public interest. This belief stamped from the

origins of the press and was later exemplified by ihe WATERGATE SCANDAL which won 8ob Woodward and carl Bernsrein the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 1973 and resulted in the indictment and conviction of several of the President Richard Nixon's closest adviso.s, and ultimately in lhe resi8nation of the President himself, on August 9,1974.

While truth-telling is the function ofThe Press, there's also the likelihood of MEDIA BlA5. Journalists, being

human, are not beyond biasness and so the news cannot be entirely objective, Even live media coverage is shot by a cameraman from his viewpoint which by that definition already defies objectivity. Further to that is the fact that several media centres are owned by big organisations that may have their own agenda to promote. Eg: Rupert Murdoch and Fox News Network

More than truth telling

sensationalizing

is the importance of the news for the sake of viewership

(refer to entertainment value), News networks often

compete for ratings as these ensure income from advertisers. Viewers and be swayed by interesting stories and images, not necessary accuracy of information which might cause News networks to focus on that. Some networks may even simplify complicated events to make it more palatable to the larger audience. This, of course, defeats the purpose
Eg:

stephen Glass of The New Republic'

The Press is also sometimes known as THE 4rH ESTATE which acts as a balance of power so thal no one estate legis,ative, judicial, executive - can hold on to too much power. ln this way, The Press ads as the voice of the people and questions the government or other powerful

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organizations in order that the public needs get met, their
queries answered and their grievances addressed. lnvasion of Privacy &the Papparazzi Of course the worry here is that with so much power, there can be a tendencv for The Press to abuse this power lnd make a nuisance ofthemselves by invading

the privacies of political & public figures and this invasion sometimes even extends to the general
public as well. Criticisms ofThe Press are mostly about their invasiveness and callousness in the bid to get a 'scoop'. Eg: Papparazzi causing the death of Princess

ControllinBThe Press
This is where the balance of power comes in. tf The press

Diana

can regulate the actions of the government then the reverse is also true. The government can implement policies to limit the action of The press. Thjs, however, should not be seen as a means to censor the ,voice of the people', but to REGULATE itCertain issues can be too sensitive and might incjte
conflicts or violence if published. Certain boundarjes need to be drawn between a public figure's public life and their private one. Finally, it is also vital that The press is able to distinguish belween truth telling and mere scandals.

However, this idea of the media as the 4d Estate is largely a western concept and this may not be the case in Asian countries depending on the political situation/climate in that countrV, the power the press possesses/ the role of the press in that couniry, and the attitude d{the citizenitowards the press.

4. Freedom of The Press Should the Press be completely free? ln terms of freedom of expression, truth telling and being the guardian of public interests, then perhaps The press
should be free. This freedom is not always about the freedom to write whatever they want to, but it is also the

to search for information unhindered/ unobstructed and freedom from unreasonable lawsuits without which, The press would be unable to do itsjob as truth teller, watchdog and guardian be too sensitive to discuss in public without of public interest. supervision. Furthermore, there are some events that when reported wrongly, rdn cduse md\\ pani( or
freedom protect their sources,

to

Of course here lies the paradox, because in order for The Press to be free enough to iellthe truth, they also have to be free enough to hide certain things from the public. This somewhat contradicts their role as truth, teller or even guardian of public intrests. Thus, some regulation of The Press is necessary because, as mentioned before, journalists are also human and can have certain biasness and certain issues can actually

5.

pandemonium which is largelV undesirable.

New Media

Together with the idea of the media being a source of information is the idea of the lnternet- Currently the newest form of transmitting information to a laer than imaginable number of people, the tnternet js still a relatively new field in which people have little control over, Many new rules and regulations are still beine

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passed in relation to it.

The rise of the lnternet with the new media, more information is readily available espec;ally in countries that have the proper infrastructure. The new media, namely the lnternet, is an infinite source of information, real time and otherwise. Such information

lnforrhalion overload
The availability of such abundance may not always be a good thing as it makes it harder to choose. The increase in choices also increases the time taken to make the choice and most end up not making a choice at all due to the tear ot makinS the wrong one. Although more time is needed to make a choice due to the large variet, less time is given as choices are constantly'updated' or'improved' sowe do not have enough time to reflect upon our choices before a new

is not only readily available, but easy to find and in abundance as well, Furthermore, one can always be assured of the currency ofthe information as information
is being updated constantly online. The new media hardly has dated information due to the ease of access and thus the ability of participants to make changes as soon as it happens. ln fact, it is this idea of real time that makes the

new media so attractive compaaed to other forms of

one is introduced. Furthermore, these'new' products traditionalmedia. Differenr from books. lhe lnlernet is r new expe'ienr F ir are so quickly replaced by'newer'products that we information gathering and can allow-the user to make no longer have time to allow these products to run its conneclron( all around the world, There i5 dn incredse in course in order to check for flaws or to even simply communication, interconnectivity and interactivity. just learn enough about them to predict side effects. lnformation on the lnternet is a combination of words, Eg: lpod, MSN Messenger, etc images - still and moving and sound thal can be highly interactive, this is something that traditional media cannot Questionable source offer and would probably not be able to unless they too Easy access means anyone can change data or information easily and such changes may not be take on the elements of new media eg: Ebooks.
Eg: Wikipedia

The idea of what is true will also become a lot more

complicated and the individual will have to start playing a larger part in being responsible for the facts/information that he/she gathers or r;sk never knowing the truth or simply torsakin8 the right to decide/form opinions for themselves.
Destroys ability to think deeply/ref lectively

lnformation doesn't necessary flow in a linear fashion and can disrupt understanding. Constant pop-ups and other online distractions can disrupt the flow of an article and the reliance on pictures to tell a story can also reduce linguistic proficiency.

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Citizen Journalism
Loss of control

Yet, for all the harm that the lnternet can cause,

This ability that the lnternet gives to the people also bring about good in the form of freedom of inevitably means the loss of control of information by expression. the proper authorities. lt also becomes harder to track News can be reported by the people instead of by large and censor such information and by the time action is corporations some ofwhich may have personalagendas_ taken, it is more often than not, already too late.
can
Ee: def;mation on blogs

it

Protection of lntellectual Property Rights The nature of the internet also makes it difficult to protect lP rights and since lntellectual property helps sustain businesses, employment, and acknowledges the effort of the author, it becomes important and necessary to protect BUT the cost of doing so may be too high to be worth the effort. Resources could be diverted to other usesEg: Piracy difficrrlt to resolve, torrent sites keep
appearing

there a necessity to censor now that jnformation can be easily accessed (free or for WHO do we need ro proteLtl
ls

a fee) on

the jnternet?

Need

Protecting civil sensitivities, maintaining social order Sometimes, the danger may not be as clear. Even the expression of one's emotions about a group of people

The right
argument

to

expression

&

freedom

of

speech

or situations can and may end up hurtjng others. lear and present danger to the safety of others. Freedom of expression should have limits as should Furthermore, so long as no illegal acts w-ore
any other {orm of free speech.

Civil rights should not be curtailed in the absence of

committed in the creative process, the public should have a choice in deciding whether to view the
resulting content. Censorship by the Government may not be

The guard willguard themselves

fair

We have to trust the people we voted into power to protect us. They must and will uphold moral standards simply because they are expected to.
Eesides, censorship boards consist of a wide variety

It

takes no account of the differing standards of

education or maturity between children and youtht or the varying attitudes towards parenting in different
households.

of
Who will guard the guards? lf excessively inappropriate mater;al can influence the people to act in an inappropriate manner, then

people from all walks of life. Furthermore, these appointments a.e changed regularly so that no one pe6on can have his or her views dominate/decide

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what is acceptable or unacceptable for the people. Moreover, the standards are simply guidelines and one can alwdy( .hoose lo exercise self-censorship We need to protect the young and those who don't ceftainly these ofiicials are not immune.
The people know better
Parents. should be allowed to exercise their ri8ht to teach their own children. Besides, correlation is

Children are highly impressionable and may be prone to imitating violence or other unacceptable behaviour' Ihere is a very real risk of copycat crimes inspired by depictions of criminal activity in the media, even if no

criminal act was committed during the creative

process.

censorship may help the artistic cause

different from causation even if we believe that some people with weaker morals are likely to be corrupted, why should the rest of society be penalised for the moral weakness of a few? There are lar better ways of reducing the crime rate, with far less cost in civil liberties, such as better policinS, tougher penalties on actual crimes being committed, CCTV cameras, and improved street lighting. Censorship can harm the Arts

Adists may have to become more creative in order to Restrictions on expression stifle creativity and dilute get around the restriction and furthermore, more the artist's original intention. people may be in support of art if they can be assured lf something has been decreed by the Government to that it will not offend or affect the sensitivities of be unsuitable for children, the odds of lhe general public wanting to buck the trend and fund it are somewhat slim may not be carried out as efJectively with Censorship is ultimately infeasible fcensorship the advent of modern technology, but that does not With the advent of modern technology, text, mean we do not need it, photographv and film can now be distributed on the Even if some individuals manage to circumvent the internet. ln addition, if we censor something which censorship measures, the Government has sent an depicts an unacceptable act or viewpoint, it merely important message about what society considers to be sends it underground which will make it harder to acceptable- The role o{ the state in sending social monitor. lt might also glamorise the ptohibited work messages and setting social standards should not be and play to the forbidden fruit and counterculture underestimated, and censorship (be it through bans or tendencies. Far better to keep such art accessible to minimum age requirements) is an important tool in the public, where people can see {or themselves that it is "bad".l{the censorship board istruly acting in line this process. with public morals, it has nothing to fear from transparency and letting the public decide for themselvesthat a piece of art is unacceptable.

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GP 2009

the flipside

why should the covemment restrict/regulate freespeec6?

Free speech is an inherently ambiguous concept that

reqoires definition and interpretation; Government is the obvious place for such clarifications to be made, but checks and balances need to be put in place in order to prevent Governmental abuse.

It is a cod-given and inalienabla right: the right to freedom of speech is too important io leave in the hands of Government. An independent judiciary or politically-independent body for assessing such circumstances is the only place that can effectively
guarantee.

Allowing government censorship threatens to allow a tyranny of the maiority: In a healthy democracy it is vital that smaller groups

be heard, and there is no way to guarantee these voices ifthe Government can restrict free speech.
Speech acts lead to physical acts.

The link between speech acts and physical acts is a

false one:
and

Thus pornography, hate speech and poljtical polemic

are causally linked to rape, hate crimes,

insuraection.

People who commit hats crimes are likely to have read hale speech. people who ( ommit je( crimes dre

have watched pornography but not necessarily the other way around. Viewers of

likely

to

pornography and readers of hate speech are therefore

not incited to commit anything they otherwise would

be voiced incieases the likelihood thattheywill be defeated: Preciselywhythe Government should then have a hand in regulating this and helping to explain matters clearly and carefully. lf left to amateurs of public policy, the

Exposing "bad" views by allowing them

to

Exposing "bad" views by allowing thern to be voiced

consequences could possibly ;rreparable.

be devastating

and

will be deleated: Exposing pornography, hate speech and political polemic (extreme nationalism etc.)to society increase the likelihood that it will be discredited and defeated, rather than strengthened through persecution. This is Milton's argument from "Areopagitica" (1644) - truth

increases the likelihood that they

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Government mu't protect its citizens from foreign The ends iustifying the means is a common pit_tall ot enemies and internal enemies _ thus treedom of allowing governments to suppress freedom of speech can be acceptably curtailed during times ofwar speech: in order to prevent propaganda and spying which might United States President Richard Nixon, in the Watergate scandal for example, attempted to justify undermine the national interest. the viol;tion of multiple laws of privacy and property lrrespective of its US provenance, we recognise that in the name of national security. "the most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theatre and causing a panic." {Schenck v. United States, 3
March,1919).

Minors lack the judgment to filter through obscene and graphic materials, making it ;mportant that
governments help do so