Sejal Says, “Censorship Exists Worldwide”
Due to the increasing prevalence of technology in today’s society, we can classify modern society as being in the ‘Digital Age’. In the past, a majority of the media that was to be ‘censored’ was done by government officials with black pens crossing out violent or provocative images. No form of media or broadcasting is safe from censorship.
Following the election of Donald Trump, a plethora of concerns were raised about the rise of fake news and the hostile and intimidating environment created by Trump's heated rhetoric. Would the president be immune to the power of censorship? But upon further analysis, it is clear that this biased censorship can be witnesses around the world.
Susan Sontag, a writer and philosopher, made the claim that violence can be displayed in the media as long as it has the ability to incite action or knowledge in society. Although this seems to be a flawless plan, it doesn’t account for the blatant loss of innocence throughout society and it distinctly goes against most of the censorship laws. But before analyzing how violence can be efficiently and accurately represented in the media, let’s review how censorship plays a variety of roles around the world.
In Hungary, journalists are subject to full investigations from the government and all of their materials is subject to review and change. Organizations concluded that the “Hungary’s independent media today faces creeping strangulation.” Another example of censorship around the world is in Turkey where a new amendment was added that allowed the Telecommunications Director to close any website or content “to protect national security and public order, as well as to prevent a crime.”
Following the election of Donald Trump, a plethora of concerns were raised about the rise of fake news and the hostile and intimidating environment created by Trump's heated rhetoric. Would the president be immune to the power of censorship? But upon further analysis, it is clear that this biased censorship can be witnesses around the world.
Susan Sontag, a writer and philosopher, made the claim that violence can be displayed in the media as long as it has the ability to incite action or knowledge in society. Although this seems to be a flawless plan, it doesn’t account for the blatant loss of innocence throughout society and it distinctly goes against most of the censorship laws. But before analyzing how violence can be efficiently and accurately represented in the media, let’s review how censorship plays a variety of roles around the world.
In Hungary, journalists are subject to full investigations from the government and all of their materials is subject to review and change. Organizations concluded that the “Hungary’s independent media today faces creeping strangulation.” Another example of censorship around the world is in Turkey where a new amendment was added that allowed the Telecommunications Director to close any website or content “to protect national security and public order, as well as to prevent a crime.”
Censorship wasn’t as radical in the past as it is today. This is because many people found ways to protect themselves and evade digital censorship. But governments eventually caught up. Many governments implemented technologies that allowed them to monitor content, activists, and journalists, and direct the flow of information.
So how can violence be portrayed in the media while abiding by the incessant censorship laws? My proposal is that violence must be displayed in a user-friendly way so that it doesn’t come off in a gruesome manner towards viewers. If violent images must be represented to accurately report an event, then the type of image must be analyzed to make sure that it helps the general public cope with any trauma that may exist so that there won’t be any backlash to the violent image in the media.
Comments
Post a Comment