Censorship of Print Media is Wrong

834 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: How does the media change societies opinions

Censorship of Print Media is Wrong

The printed media is undeniably a very powerful source used to communicate. It can be used for bad as well as good purposes. It can be used to inform the world of important events, or to publish pornography and mindless tabloids. Should the government be allowed to regulate what people can and cannot publish? Newspapers and forms of reading material are one of the largest forms of news that we use today. Every morning people can get out of bed, walk outside and pick up a piece of paper that informs them of important events that are occurring though out the world. However there is some published information that we never hear about. The U.S. government as well as several private distributors of printed media have censured several forms of printed information. Violence in the media has become a big issue for many politicians and national leaders. They feel that there are certain topics that should not be allowed to be talked about. To control this violence, politicians and private distributors have set unconstitutional standards on forms of media, censured certain materials, and banned several books due to their personal beliefs or morals.

There have been several types of media that have been banned from distribution in the United States. Books that express views in opposition of the norm have been banned. Magazines and articles promoting lifestyles that are considered unethical or unmoral have been kept from being released. Is this right? Should the government be allowed to control what we learn and what we read? As a free citizen of the United States I believe that this is unconstitutional. When the founding fathers wrote the constitution, they based their ideas around the o...

... middle of paper ...

... different from the general public and it is not our responsibility to pressure our views on them by silencing what they say.

The written word is mankind's oldest form of recorded information. It has allowed us to discover our culture and learn of the events and ideas of the past. The printed word has become a powerful source for worldwide communication. It is not our responsibility to restrain that. As Thomas Jefferson, one of our founding fathers, once said, "If the book is false in its facts, disprove them; if false in its reasoning, refute it. But for God's sake, let us hear freely from both sides."

Works Cited

http://www.xnet.com/~paigeone/noevil/chapultepec.html

Richardson, Terry, "Media in Modern Times": Allyn and Bacon Publishing: New York 1993

Callahan, Sidney. "What we see, we do: Violence & the media." Commonweal. 1996.

Show More
Related

  • New York Times Co. versus United States: The Security of Secrets

    1965 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the Supreme Court case of the New York Times Co. vs. United States there is a power struggle. This struggle includes the entities of the individual freedoms against the interests of federal government. It is well known that the first amendment protects the freedom of speech, but to what extent does this freedom exist. There have been instances in which speech has been limited; Schenck vs. United States(1919) was the landmark case which instituted such limitations due to circumstances of “clear and present danger”. Many have noted that the press serves as an overseer which both apprehends and guides national agenda. However, if the federal government possessed the ability to censor the press would the government restrain itself? In the case of the Pentagon Papers the necessities of individual freedoms supersedes the scope of the national government.

    Read More

  • Book Banning and First Amendment Right

    1699 Words  | 4 Pages

    The First Amendment states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances" (First Amendment Oct. 20, 2013). But "the First Amendment does not protect all speech from government censorship, and it does not prevent private non-government entities from censoring. Years of US Supreme Court decisions have identified exceptions to the general rule that the governments in the United States cannot censor" (Censorship Copyright © 2002). American citizen's right of freedom of speech should be held in the highest integrity and any kind of censorship of free speech should not be allowed because it take away those rights. However, censorship has been going on for centuries.

    Read More

  • The Tyranny of Banned Books

    1070 Words  | 3 Pages

    By forbidding the reading of certain books, the first amendment rights of every American citizen are violated. The first amendment of the U.S. Constitution clearly states that all citizens have freedom of speech as well as freedom of press (Book Banning 1). By banning a book and making it so that no one can read it, the government is keeping the author from expressing their thoughts and opinions through press. The freedom of choice is also violated due to the inability of reading that particular book as an option. Not only the first amendment rights are violated, but also the academic freedom and diversity of thought guaranteed and protected by the constitution (Teachers 1). History will show that Americans do not take the violation of their rights lightly, and are more than likely to protest. Sometimes, in more extreme cases, they will rebel.

    Read More

  • Banned Books

    1205 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first amendment of the U.S. Constitution states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances (Buchanan).” With the banning and the challenging of books all over the U.S. I believe that our first amendment is being jeopardized. We should be allowed to read whatever we want to read it is our right according to the first amendment in the U.S. Constitution with freedom of speech.

    Read More

  • On The Justice Roosting Of Chickens Analysis

    1585 Words  | 4 Pages

    Although there are some limits, the citizens of this country can write whatever they please without fear of persecution by the government. This is an integral part of the society that we live in today, however this does not mean they are not subject to attack and scrutiny from the voices of others. Take for example the controversy surrounding Ward Churchill and his work On the Justice Roosting of Chickens. In the book, Churchill likened those who died in the attacks on the Twin Towers in 2001 to little Eichmanns, technocrats of an empire (Ward). His work was widely published and was in no way censored, yet this did not save him from an endless barrage of scrutiny from all ends of the political and social spectrum. He was invited onto Fox News’ The Kelly File where they debated the implications of his writing and gave him a chance to defend himself. This is the very spirit of dialogue that we must strive to inspire. Freedom of speech cannot be used only to protect the opinions and ideals of only the ‘just’. Absolute freedom of speech must be extended to all ideological minorities regardless of moral standing. Instead of silencing those we disagree with, we must seek change their ideas so that society can move forward

    Read More

  • Analysis Of First Amendment Rights: Freedom Of The Press

    1544 Words  | 4 Pages

    According to the U.S. constitution and thereunder the first amendment, the press is said to be free, and the government cannot legally prohibit this freedom. Overall, the press holds an enormous responsibility. It is the watchdog of the community, the guarder of the government and the public. They provide an unofficial form of checks and balances on the government by informing the public on what the government is doing. Through this, they can persuade the public to view things in from one perspective or another. They have been given the constitutional right to do this.

    Read More

  • Censorship in American Literature

    815 Words  | 2 Pages

    Censorship has been a big part of the world’s history and especially America’s history. One of the most quoted amendments to the United States constitution is the first amendment; “Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press ...” This amendment guaranteeing free speech, press, and religion is still heavily debated and contested today. Censorship, as a challenge to free speech and press has been allowed many times and has been heavily debated itself. Many people censor for many different reasons and in many different forms. Censorship itself is not always a bad thing and has in some cases been used for protection of the general population.

    Read More

  • America Needs Media Censorship

    2275 Words  | 5 Pages

    Censorship is a controversial word that has been with us since who knows when. Ancient dictators would burn books because they didn't like them and force people to believe what they did. The question I ask myself, though, is if censorship in Libraries and schools is justified. My answer is yes, and that is what I will try to convince you.

    Read More

  • Censorship In Schools Essay

    1440 Words  | 3 Pages

         "What is at stake here it the right to read and be exposed to controversial, thoughts and language. The most effective antidote to the poison of mindless orthodoxy is ready access to a broad sweep of ideas and philosophies. There is no danger in such exposure. The danger is mind control especially when that control is exercised by a few over the majority" (qtd. in Hunt

    Read More

  • Censorship Limits Freedom of Speech

    406 Words  | 1 Pages

    Censorship is the control of communication between people. This includes restrictions on what can be seen and heard. Mostly, censorship is practiced by Governments. But religious and political leaders and special interest groups also try to control the flow of information. Censorship violates individual rights, hides useful information, and limits freedom of speech.

    Read More

  • Is Censorship Justified?

    1188 Words  | 3 Pages

    Is Censorship Justified? Ever wondered the reason behind racial discrimination, sexual discrimination, children committing crimes or violence? The main reason is that censorship is not properly imposed or there is a need for censorship in the society. Censorship is the suppression of ideas and information that certain people, individuals, groups or government officials find objectionable, offensive or dangerous to others. There are varieties of other definitions, but all have in common the concept of withholding information and/or resources from those who seek it.

    Read More

  • The Negative Impact of Media Censorship

    1900 Words  | 4 Pages

    Every human possesses some guaranteed basic freedoms and rights, whether it is the freedom of speech, or the freedom to express themselves. However, the government seems to be increasingly determined to limit these freedoms using censorship to confine these rights that we usually take for granted. The most important facet of media in general is that it allows people to express themselves freely. In fact, this freedom of expression that music allows us is one of the primary reasons why it exists. Sadly, many of the current artists have forgotten that, but nonetheless, censorship seems to always be there to limit the expression of those who choose to place deeper messages in their songs. Tackling censorship is much more important than it appears to be at the surface; to take down censorship would help preserve the expression of thought. It would help preserve the right to listen to the unaltered forms of everything. Most importantly, it would help preserve the rapidly weakening basic right of speech.

    Read More

  • The Negative Effects of Censorship

    3203 Words  | 7 Pages

    Since the foundation of the United States after a harsh split from Britain, almost 200 years later, an issue that could claim the founding grounds for the country is now being challenged by educators, high-ranking officials, and other countries. Though it is being challenged, many libertarians, democrats, and free-speech thinkers hold the claim that censorship violates our so-called unalienable rights, as it has been proven throughout many court cases. Censorship in the United States is detrimental because it has drastically and negatively altered many significant events. Censorship allows governments more control of society than they already have, slowly progressing governments utilizing censorship to a dictatorship. Often times, this censorship can lead to immense rebellions.

    Read More

  • The Importance of Censorship

    611 Words  | 2 Pages

    Censorship affects our society in many different ways, it affects the music we listen to, the movies we watch, the books we read, and many other aspects of our everyday lives. Even though many might argue that censorship doesn't really have a place in a society that emphases freedom of speech and the freedom to express oneself, but censorship is an essential and needed part of our growing society, it's needed in the television industry, the Internet, and the music industry. Censorship helps to make our world a better place because it creates a better environment for us to live in.

    Read More

  • The Media Should Be Censored

    1032 Words  | 3 Pages

    Media has become a powerful source of knowledge, and a great breakthrough in human history. Who can regret that media is a daily need in our lives. Media has the ability and control to adjust to all levels of knowledge in people. Media helps us to escape from our daily lives and our problems in times of stress. Thou Media as proved to be beneficial by educating, entertaining and informing us, it has also have its downfall, to cause many bad influences to the younger audience. Media has influenced us to conduct bad behavior, breed violence among teens and fear to the public, thus causing a lot of negative conflicts among ourselves. Television, Music, Internet, and more, are just some of the media exposure that needs to be censored and controlled. Media needs to be restricted, so that it doesn’t expose certain content to the wrong audience. Therefore media should be censored, so that we are able to protect our children from certain media exposure.

    Read More

More about Censorship of Print Media is Wrong

Open Document