Complaining about freedom of speech and censorship in Mideast media? If you think that Media Censorship is only active in this part of the world, then what do you call The Federal Communication Commission's campaign for censorship of media in US? (warning: 18 and above only).
[hat tip: Scott Fish]
Media Censorship
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We have more free speech than any other country, but we’ve never had complete free speech in the U.S. We’ve always had anti-obscenity laws, and laws against speech that directly promotes violence. The 1st Amendment to the Constitution was designed to promote the expression of ideas, not the depiction of sex acts, or the gratuitous exposure of intimate body parts. Howard Stern’s shows consist mostly of ethnic slurs and the degradation of women and he should be fined more often in my opinion.
hello i’m siti fariza from malaysia. im currently studying in selangor, malaysia. recently we are asked to do an investigation about current issues which are happening around the world. and i’ve chosen “MEDIA CENSORSHIP” as my topic to present as my investigation. i’ve read your interesting article from internet which i understand is related to my topic. so i really need your opinion about “HOW EFFECTIVE DOES CENSORSHIP IN MEDIA” for example , “THE DISADVANTAGES AND ADVANTAGES OF CENSORSHIP IN MEDIA, MASS MEDIA or perhaps you can focus it on TELEVISION” it is up to you. i dont mind.
Please..i hope i will get an instant reply from you. i really appreciate your help in my investigation and need your support to it.
im looking forward for your reply. thank you very much.
dont hesitate to ask me anything.
I call it hilarious.
In many ways the US is a comedy show in itself. It seems to me that there are too many people with too much free time when subjects like “Did the president get a blowjob that was not sanctioned by his wife or the church?”, “Did Janet Jackson’s right breast jump out on purpose?”, and “Did Bill Clinton inhale or was it Monika Lewinsky?” are much more important issues than “Did Saddam have a big rocket?”
What the beeeep! Did I just see a nipple?!?
Sorry for the last outburst there, what I meant to say was: Did I just see a mammary gland?
While it’s true that there does not exist an “anything goes” policy on government owned radio frequencies (FCC) in the United States (generally justified in the name of mainting decency to promote a civil society while not exposing children to adult-themed discussion), there are no such government restrictions when it comes to certain cable television, satelite radio, and periodical literature outlets.
And while some might scoff at what they consider to be Puritanical restraints, there is a persuasive argument to be made for keeping certain things from the ears and eyes of the youngest most impressionable members of a society. Rather like keeping sharpened scissors on the top shelf.
The scissors are still there to be used, but not to be used by those who could be injured more easily.
It is the same in the United States. Anything and everything exists to be seen, heard and read.
I would suggest that this is certainly not the case in all nations. Particularly the totalitarian ones.
Restrictions on political speech are non-existant. But, yes personal modesty is encouraged. You can rail against the President on national television if you wish, but it would not be wise to do so while nude and covered in petrolium jelly.
There is something to be said for being free and proper at the same time. Sadly, this is an idea which is lost to many nations.
And for the record, the “censored” and “ebattled” Howard Stern has made millions and millions of dollars in the United States (more than any other radio personality in that nation’s history). He has had government-owned facilities named after him, written two best-sellers, had a big-budget movie made about his life and he even ran for Governor of NY.
He has laughed all the way to the bank.
Is this honestly how “censored” individuals are treated in Moslem nations?
I would suggest that he is not the poster-boy for Western opression that you might be making him out to be…then again, maybe he is a perfect example of the freedoms enjoyed in the West.
Hi Siti,
I’m Robin from California. I am a former high school government/history teacher and really appreciate that you are looking here for some of your research.
I’m sure you alreaddy know that here in the States we have the FC(Federal Communications Commision) who is charged with setting clear standards for our media here. In order to get around the FCC there have been satelite stations, (Serius and MX being available now) created. Serius is the channel that Howard Stern broadcasts from now, after paying rather large fines sanctioned on him by the FCC. But now censorship is cropping up there too evidently. He has an absolutely FOUL mouth and his television program also has naked women on it which he is able to do because it airs on cable television which is not subject to FCC rules, YET. I personally just turn the stuff off, and am happy his radio talk show can not be tuned into by my child accidently on my car radio (I do not have Serius) Both Serius and cable are not free, you must pay for them as you probably alreaddy know. As for television, the cable company I subscribe to allows me to monitor my childrens viewing by selecting a rating not to be shown. The problem with this is that there are some glitches and once a friend of mine set her monitor and her COOKING show could not be viewed without undoing it. If you have any questions concerning my personal oppinions, feel free to post back. Good luck on your project. Here is a site that might help you.
http://www.fcc.gov/telecom.html. You can also look up Serius which is where the contraversy about censorship is hot at the moment
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