Should the media be censored - Essay Example

Should the media be censored? Nowadays governments of all the countries implement one or another form of censorship and try to keep national mass media under control. The issue of social effectiveness and ethical correctness of any type of censorship is one of the most controversial and arguable questions, which are being widely discussed. This work presents some strong opinion, directed against censorship in our mass media. To begin with, we all know that the First Amendment of our Constitution protects the rights of freedom of speech of every citizen of the USA, including employees of press and mass media.

That is why all the writers, editors, journalists, photographers, cameramen or artists have the right and are obliged to inform the audience about true development of the events, without intervention of censors. Moreover, the Amendment also protects the right of all American people to receive true and correct “uncensored” information. Any types of control and limitations to speech or to giving news are harmful for our society. In order to keep American democracy safe, it is necessary to provide the citizens with comprehensive correct information about all possible fields of social activity, starting from political and economic policies of the government and ending with new modern trends in fashion or in cinema art.

Besides, evaluating of information from mass media and merits of expression is very subjective activity. Everybody has own special range regarding to degrees of horror or unpleasant information, which has or has not to be censored. So why somebody particular must have right to decide, whether some piece of information is appropriate, enough “safe” and pleasant to be broadcasted, or to ban this or that TV program or radio show? It must be clear and obvious that censorship is not an answer on increasing amount of aggression and numerous acts of violence in our country, which already became something usual.

And it is better to know everything and be broadly informed about all the details, risk factors, types of danger, etc. So, receiving and analyzing such information must be a good warning and good help for everybody to avoid accidents, rapes, molestations, drug offers or other types of abuse. Actually, mostly the issue of censorship is connected with social tendency to protect children and teenagers from growing pressure of violence, crime, sex scandals, drug abuse, which are recently prevalent in our news and mass media.

Such visuals in the news may really affect minds of especially sensitive and touchy young people. But, on the other hand, these programs and news show our contemporary reality with its brutal sides and reflect modern history, which must not be something to censor. Besides, there are some other alternative ways to protect children from possible “negative” influence of information. This is not the responsibility of the government to sort information for children. Nobody else, but parents must do their best to control the activities of their children and, if necessary, filter informational flows directed into children’s minds.

Of course, it is not easy to watch a child all day long, but parents have to influence positively on their children and form their proper choices of media. The same concepts must be applied to Internet as the most developing and dynamic modern form of media. Recently Internet became the most popular and most widely used resource of information, and it is very important to keep it free from any censorship and any forms of restrictions. All the control and selection of information for children must be made exclusively by parents or authorized persons.

Any form of censorship is ethically and morally wrong, especially in such country as the United States of America: the country of freedom, democracy, rights and social equality. That is why American society must do everything possible to stop further development of governmental activity on expanding and strengthening of censorship and control over mass media and Internet. Bibliography: "Media Censorship Won’t Stop Violence, Book Community Warns." Free Expression. The Free Expression Network Ed.

Judith Platt. 29 Nov. 2000. 25 Oct. 2005 .