4.2. Censorship
Read the article, then complete the tasks below it.
With the Rise of New Media, Censorship is Needed Now More Than Ever
The advances in technology have changed the face of the media industry. As new media is set to take center stage in the years to come, the word censorship takes on a whole new meaning. With governments exercising greater control over the media, discussion about censorship rages on. Is censorship a good tool in achieving the aims of stability?
To start of, there is no point having censorship when there is no one being fully capable of effectively handling the job of censoring. Traditionally, it is the person in power that handles the job of censorship. The government of a country censors information and news that it deems unfit for the country or might potentially cause instability in the country and is a threat to their sovereignty. A parent might forbid a child from certain actions that might be a threat to their survival or future prospects. However, in this case the person may not always be right. There is no definite good or bad in this world. There might be bad in good experiences, and there might even be good in bad experiences and by censoring, it is essentially denying them a choice to choose to be in this experience that might potentially benefit them in one way or another. Furthermore, the person in power might also exercise censorship in a way that revolves around their own self interests, and hence not really considering the "bigger picture". Therefore, since there is no one of infinite wisdom that is capable of discerning what is good and what is bad, a person cannot be put in a position where he is made to make decisions based on ones imperfect information and knowledge.
However, some people might say that censorship is good since it promotes stability. The main purpose in censorship is using it as a tool that filters out unnecessary, misleading information that might cause a lot of problems, be it socially, politically, or economically. There are many ways to enforce censorship – by withholding information, banning information, imposing a punishment for people that do not conform which its ultimate being censorship by death. In ancient China, the then emperor Qin Shi Huang censored Confucianism by killing thousands of scholars by burring them alive. From past history, censorship does seem to have some form of success at maintaining stability.
However, from the past, it has been recorded that censorship has failed miserably at achieving its purpose. One fine example is in the case of Jesus. Despite being labeled an imposter, and his followers being persecuted, Christianity eventually was accepted in most countries and has been one of the major religions since. Hence, censorship is not a fool-proof method in ensuring stability and has more cons than it has pros.
Despite so, in this current age and level of technology, it is almost impossible to carry out censorship in the new media. In the new media, information is passed and received like WILDFIRE! Tons and tons of information are accessed and transmitted each day by millions and millions of people worldwide and hence it is impossible to censor out information. There are over 100 million blogs worldwide and one hundred and fifty thousand blogs are created daily. This is just one of the many ways in which information in transmitted daily via the internet and attempting to censor information is like catching a whale with a fishing net. Hence, using censorship to promote stability in the new media is a futile pursuit, and other methods should be sought after instead of clinging on to an ineffective method.
One of the ways to perpetuate stability is to educate people and exposing them to different perspectives. By educating the masses, the people themselves have the ability to filter out what is right and wrong based on their own thinking. Therefore, even when they are exposed to "inaccurate" information, they will have the capability to reject that idea without it influencing them and distorting them from reality. Hence, increasing emphasis is being placed in education in countries so that moral values and social norms can be taught at a young age. There would also be some uniformity in the way people think and act, lessening the need for censorship. By education people, it is essentially getting to and solving the root of the problem and hence is a feasible and more effective alternative to consider besides censorship in the new media.
In conclusion, with the rise of new media, censorship should be one of the many tools used in ensuring that information in the new media does not go out of hand. However, other methods should be employed with censorship complementing it so achieve stability in the world. Censorship should also be used in an objective manner and should not be a tool for the rich to gain or cement their power.
Find the English equivalents in the article.
медиа индустрия; цензура; контроль над СМИ; подвергать цензуре информацию; удалять (выборочно), отсеивать; недостоверная информация; замалчивать информацию; запрещать; потерпеть неудачу; надёжный/безопасный метод; через интернет; бесполезное занятие; искажающий; моральные ценности; социальные нормы; оправданный; выйти из под контроля
(Key p. 132)
Comment on the following.
The advances in technology have changed the face of the media industry.
There is no point having censorship when there is no one being fully capable of effectively handling the job of censoring.
The person in power might also exercise censorship in a way that revolves around their own self interests.
The main purpose in censorship is using it as a tool that filters out unnecessary, misleading information that might cause a lot of problems, be it socially, politically, or economically.
In this current age and level of technology, it is almost impossible to carry out censorship in the new media.
By educating the masses, the people themselves have the ability to filter out what is right and wrong based on their own thinking.
Increasing emphasis is being placed in education in countries so that moral values and social norms can be taught at a young age.
Censorship should also be used in an objective manner and should not be a tool for the rich to gain or cement their power.
Answer the questions on censorship.
How would you explain censorship to someone unfamiliar with it?
Do you think the Internet should be censored?
Is it up to the government or other agencies to censor things?
What things should never be censored?
Does censorship result in reduced chances of education for society?
Would you like to be a movie censor?
What do you think censors are more afraid of, print, songs, movies or the Internet?
Are history books in your country censored to hide your nation’s historical wrongdoing?
Many world governments have asked Google Earth to censor parts of its maps that show sensitive areas. Do you agree with this?
The European Union is considering censoring racism and hate propaganda on the Internet – is this good censorship?
Do you agree there should be censorship in societies?
Do you think censorship violates freedom of speech?
Do you thing heavy censorship harms or protects societies?
Do you think musical lyrics need censoring?
What kind of interview, qualifications and experience do you think government censors should have?
Is it necessary to censor nudity on television and in movies?
What would the world be like if there was no censorship at all?
What or who would you most like to censor?
What is worst – moral, political, military or religious censorship?
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