The Impact and Censorship in Media - Essay Example

? Media Censorship Media censorship has been a widely contested and discussed topic around the world. Most proponents agree that the excessive of violence portrayed on the television can have ultimate negative effects to the viewers. The most affected group in the society is the children. Censorship can be defined as the control and regulation of ideas and information that goes in a cycle through the people of the society. It also refers to reviewing and analyzing print and electronic media to remove or suppress parts that are deemed unfit for the public to view. These can be inappropriate and offensive information. Since the media plays an important role in informing society, it is necessary to review the information let out. This is on an effort to reduce propaganda, violence and cases related to false media reports. This paper seeks to discuss the violence portrayed by the media, the impact and censorship of the media. The paper also discusses a viable solution to the problem of violence in the media. It is a common case of children trying to imitate what they have seen on the television in reality. The children are the most vulnerable group to thee violence depicted in the television. In one instance, after viewing a movie on the television, a teen-aged boy and his fellows went ahead to lie down along the centerline of the highway. These teenagers were imitating a scene from a movie they had previously watched. This prompted touchstone pictures to remove the scene from the movie since it had caused fatalities. This tragedy is one among many others that children view violent material in the television and try to emulate. In another instance in Ohio, a child set his parents’ house on fire resulting to the death of her sister who was trapped in the house. A program in MTV, Beavis and Butthead, prompted this act. Austin Messner a five year old is a victim of the free media. Media to some aspects does not make considerations before airing some programs. Although MTV did not claim responsibility to this tragedy, they restructured their program schedule and Beavis and Butthead was put on a late night slot. From these examples is that human beings are passive and are easily influenced by what they see. On another perspective is that people have different shared experiences and will think and react in the same way. This informs that common concept that television viewing is a way of knowing the self and the people around the self. Censorship, therefore, is an important issue and it should be upheld in every societies. Clearly, it is only through censorship that the young, vulnerable and innocent are protected (Cottle, 2011). This is based on the premise that most people do not know what is good or bad content. The society has shaped certain norms that many come to agree with, but in the real sense, they are detrimental. There is too much violent and explicit content in the media today, but people ignore this and do not consider the long-term effect this can have to the society. There also exist the dilemma of differentiating between fantasy and the true reality. This pollutes the minds of the viewer and eventually they emulate what they see on the media content. The media has been linked to developing violence in the society. Studies, however, prove that there is no direct link between violence in the society and the media (Cottle, 2011). A number of studies propose that TV violence does not encourage violence in children. From these studies, it is quite clear that the relationship between violence and the media is null and void. However, censorship goes beyond the freedom of choice. It does not allow people to view what they want and develop their personal judgments. Violence or the weird behaviors children develop should be blamed on the parents (Ho?chli, 2010). In a child’s life, the parents are the role models and the light. They should guide the child from wrong at all times. For the case of Austin Messner, the blame cannot be put on the media, but the parents themselves. When it comes to children, the parents should be the primary censors of inappropriate materials. The parents are supposed to know details of programs, and media contents their children are allowed to view. Before blaming it on someone else, parental censorship is necessary to achieve an appropriate media censorship. While censorship is desirable to safeguard social harmony, it also contradicts freedom of speech. People should be permitted to speak themselves out and say what they believe or feel without any restrictions. It is also important to note that self-expression or media expression should not be targeted and should consider all appropriate avenues. It should not be without responsibility (Magoon, 2010). The expression should be in a way that is appropriate or offends other people. Censorship of the media is necessary to help develop an ethical and virtuous society. The first solution to help reduce violence related to the media rests within us. The parents are the primary censors for inappropriate material for their children. In most cases, the parents allow the children too much time and opportunity to use the violent content in the media. Each parent should be responsible enough to determine what programs the children can watch and which others are inappropriate and violent. The v-chip is one of the most modern ways of curbing inappropriate views for the children. It is through this weapon that parents can block certain programs to restrict the channels the children have access to. Media censorship can also be perfected in terms of running warnings for programs that contain inappropriate images for the children. Together with guidance from the parents, the children will be informed on the most appropriate programs to view. The media should also take the first responsibility of ensuring that this is done for each program. Some unscrupulous media misuse their freedom to give inappropriate content to the public (Germano & Meier, 2012). The government together with the media boards should strengthen their policies on what content to give the public. Although at this day and age of the internet, it is quite hectic and cumbersome to develop these systems for the vulnerable, innocent and children, new technology has developed to help reduce cases of inappropriate content. In the mobile phones or gadgets, the parents can set up parameters to govern what internet content their children can access at their free time. Having a watchful eye by the parent will initiate all the other processes of enhancing media censorship. Through parental guidance, there is the parents’ eye in media content their children get access to. The parents determine what programs the children can watch and what they cannot watch. The parents also establish appropriate guidelines to which programs their kids are free to watch. This is not to propose that a child can be censored 24 hours a day (Chen, 2013). However, launching a sound base is important. It is relevant that self-analyzation happens before anyone begins to fault the media for everything. The media should be a tool in which everyone is entertained and informed on trending issues. Discerning what everyone considers as appropriate content is also important as it fortifies the rules and tents of media censorship. In summary, media censorship is a fundamental consideration in every society. It is through the media that good and bad is developed. The decision to enhance media censorship is not solely on the media itself, but many other stakeholders. The violence depicted in the media does not have a direct relationship with violence portrayed by children, as research suggests. The parents remain the major stakeholders in facilitating censorship. They should be the first people to develop censorship for their children at home. They should consider what programs and content are appropriate for their children. The media should also fortify its policies on what content to be shared and give appropriate guidelines to the parents about their programming. Media censorship, though a hotly contested topic, remains a fundamental tool in regulating and creating a virtuous society. References Chen, Y. C. Y., & Austin, E. W. (2013). The role of parental mediation in the development of media literacy and the prevention of substance use. The International Encyclopedia of Media Studies. Cottle, S. (2011). Media and the Arab uprisings of 2011: Research notes. Journalism, 12(5), 647 659. Ho’chli, M. (2010). The invisible scissors: Media freedom and censorship in Switzerland. New York: Peter Lang. Germano, F., & Meier, M. (2012). Concentration and self-censorship in commercial media. Journal of Public Economics. Magoon, K. (2010). Media censorship. Edina, Minn: ABDO Pub. Co. Read More