/

the tlipside
MEDIA AND CENSORSHIP

Students should take note ofthe extent to which media can affect or intluence the various levels ofsocietv from
the many different perspectives.

students should also consider the implications of the voyeuristic nature of the media on personal freedom and
the right io expression.

MEDIA

3 fotmst Print medio (anything in printed form), Broodcost medio (onything broodcosted over oirwoves) ond New
Medio (onything thot does notJoll intothe obove 2 traditianat t'orms of media)
2 types. Govetnment cantrolled/reguloted ond independent (con include thase sponsored or operoted by

1. Entertainment value
The media can provide endless hours of enteatainment,
providing us options as to how to spend our leisure time_
Its nature allows it io satisfu our need for the fantastic and
the realistic without having to experience it firsthand.
Media such as books and magazines further forces the
mind to reflect deeply and allows the imagination to run
wildgiving the reader the chance to think critically,
creatively and logically-
However, such entertainment can sometiries be of
harmful as it can djsable our creative and cognitive
process- The nature ofsome forms of media leaves us
with little or no time for reflection and instead
manipulates us by replacing our interpretation with
experience, cognition with perception.
ln the bid to entertain, and using that as an end to
justifi/the means, nothingis spared. There are no
sacred cows and eveMhing is sacrificed or used for
lhe ultrmdie goal ol enLertdinment. Th;s in turn is
related to revenue because in the world of
enierldrnment, dn),thing rhal r( unpopuldr i\
unsellable and anything that cannot be sold would no
longer be made.

EEi Consider the monner in which television shows

hove evolved tothe reolity progroms ond prunks oJ
todoy and how these shows seem ta hove a blotont
disreqord for bosic humon respect, Even printed medio
ond tabloids have storted oiring dirty laundry in place
oJ the usuolthought provoking controvetsies. The rise
ol the internet hos olso ollowedjust obout onyone to
shote just oboul onylhing undpr lhc guisp ol

@sRJC GP 2009
 the flipside
There is no dired link between ma55 media and
antisocialbehaviour
Such behavior is usuallv determined by social
environment, family, peer pressure, or other factors.
Many antisocial people may not even watch TV, while
others may claim it is responsible for their actions simply
to avoid taking responsibility forthemselves. Psychologists
claim that television does not have a simple, dired
stimulus-response effect on its audiences. This can be
illustrated by the example of lapan, where ry movies are
famous for extreme violence, but the crime rate is low -
much lower than in many societies where TV viewing is
relatively rare.
Correction of Stereotypes
But not all programs or influences from the media are
bad, the media can sometimes challenge or correct
cultural/social stereotypes and have been doing so for a
lonB time. Writers such as Sylvia Plath, Jane Austin and
many others have been dispellingthe so-called norm for
females for decades. Directors such as Zhang Yi Mo have
also challenged the gender stereotypes available.
E @sRrccP2ooe
It increases ou r loneli ness through social isolation
and causes us to become antisocial oreven violent
obsession & Repercussions
Still, one cannot ignore the potent'al harm that media
can cause proven or otherwise. ln societies where
people are surrounded bv media which is made
readily available, there is a danger of becoming too
q!99$9d and these can cause repercussions on the
other aspects of their lives. Relationships, work,
studies and even health can suffe. due to neglect.
lncreases in the levels of childhood obesity, myopia
and ADHD attention deficit hyperactive disorder -
can be attributed to the over exposure to certain
types of media entertainment such as computer
games and television programs.
Perpetuation of Stereotypes
Compartmentalisation of characteristics spawning the
practice or habit of proflling which results in an overly
simplistic outlook on life. Children may grow up
believing that they need to behave or think in a
certain manner in order to gain approval or
popularity. Such perpetuation of stereotypes can
easily lead to discrimination especially when subtle
differen€es are made more obvious through the
exaggeration ofthese traits by the media.
 the flipside
2. lnformation
The media as a source ofin{ormation
Advertisements, as mentioned before can be entertaining,
but they can also be informative. They are a way for
consumers to find out more about their products.
Furthermore, they can also be used rather effectively by aboard. Thus lending fuel
government bodies and other groups or organizations to advertisements as propaganda.
promote their policy, product or even ideology.
Advertisements aae also a good way for the government
to spread public messages and educate the public or to
simply keep them informed.
How advertisements are viewed largely depends on the
target audience, the message being passed on and the
group/groups responsible for the advertisement. Hitle/s
Propaganda Minister, loseph Goebbels, understood that
"To be perceived, propdgondd must evoke the intetest of
E @sRJcGP2oos
objectif ication of people
Related to the perpetuation of stereotypes is also the
objectification of people - women AND men. This can
be commonly found in advertisements as they are
specially catered to attract a niche audience and
hence inay choose to enhance a certain feature oa
body part to selltheir products.
Dp5pite hdving viewer ddvi!ory mersages, the worry i!
lhdt not ever/one ddheres to this and the concprn ij
that the Voung mav start to have an increased
awareness of their sexuality even before their bodies
are physically ready- This may and can lead to early
experimentation and more incidences of premarital
Although women have often been objectified by the
media, men have also recently been included. While
this reflects the changing roles that men and women
play in society, such a change may not always be
welcomed. lnstead of rejoicing at the fact that men
have also been included in this form of degradation,
we should bemoan the loss of a basic sort of respect
for humanity and mutual respect. The dangers in
seeing people as object-is the distancing of real
human emotions for others and hence a sort of
desensitisation to any sort of horror thai may and can
be inflicted upon the other.
Propaganda
Some may see advertisements as a form of
propaganda and certainly, with the rise jn the use of
media as an effective tool for communication many
organizations and government bod;es have also come
to the idea of
Som€ may see the government's use of
advertisements in the media as soft paternalistic
methods of persuasion especially ifthe message being
promoted belongs to a minority or is not widely
accepted by the larger community, ln extreme cases,
propaganda can also 'brainwash' an individual or the
society and cause them to conform to certain
behaviour.
Eg: Hitle/s Mein Kampf, Mao's Great Leap Forward.
 the flipside
an oudience and must be tronsmitted thtough on
ottention-getting co mmuni cdti o ns med i u m."
As consumers become a lot more educated, it becomes
harder to persuade them.
3. Truth-Telling, Watchdog & The Press as the 4"
One of the most important functions of the media is that
ofThe Press which, is largely responsible for providing the
individual with news/information about current affairs.
The main value of the media in this area is that of TRUTH
TELLING. The primary duty that one would expect from
the media, especially The Press is that of WATCHDOG/
Guardian of public interest. This belief stamped from the
origins of the press and was later exemplified by ihe
WATERGATE SCANDAL which won 8ob Woodward and
carl Bernsrein the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 1973
and resulted in the indictment and conviction of several
of the President Richard Nixon's closest adviso.s, and
ultimately in lhe resi8nation of the President himself, on
August 9,1974.
The Press is also sometimes known as THE 4rH ESTATE
which acts as a balance of power so thal no one estate -
legis,ative, judicial, executive - can hold on to too much
power. ln this way, The Press ads as the voice of the
people and questions the government or other powerful
E @sRrccP2ooe
But at the same time, advertisements themselves are
also evolving and newar methods of persuasion are
being jnvented to cater to the more intelligent
clientele.
Media Bias, over-sensationalizing or oversimplilying
o{ in{ormation
While truth-telling is the function ofThe Press, there's
also the likelihood of MEDIA BlA5. Journalists, being
human, are not beyond biasness and so the news
cannot be entirely objective, Even live media coverage
is shot by a cameraman from his viewpoint which by
that definition already defies objectivity. Further to
that is the fact that several media centres are owned
by big organisations that may have their own agenda
to promote.
Eg: Rupert Murdoch and Fox News Network
More than truth telling is the importance of
sensationalizing the news for the sake of viewership
(refer to entertainment value), News networks often
compete for ratings as these ensure income from
advertisers. Viewers and be swayed by interesting
stories and images, not necessary accuracy of
information which might cause News networks to
focus on that. Some networks may even simplify
complicated events to make it more palatable to the
larger audience. This, of course, defeats the purpose
Eg: stephen Glass of The New Republic'
 ttue flipside
organizations in order that the public needs get met, their
queries answered and their grievances addressed.

lnvasion of Privacy &the Papparazzi

ControllinBThe Press
This is where the balance of power comes in. tf The press
can regulate the actions of the government then the
reverse is also true. The government can implement
policies to limit the action of The press. Thjs, however,
should not be seen as a means to censor the ,voice of the
people', but to REGULATE it-
Certain issues can be too sensitive and might incjte
conflicts or violence if published. Certain boundarjes need
to be drawn between a public figure's public life and their
private one. Finally, it is also vital that The press is able to
distinguish belween truth telling and mere scandals.
Of course the worry here is that with so much power,
there can be a tendencv for The Press to abuse this
power lnd make a nuisance ofthemselves by invading
the privacies of political & public figures and this
invasion sometimes even extends to the general
public as well. Criticisms ofThe Press are mostly about
their invasiveness and callousness in the bid to get a
'scoop'. Eg: Papparazzi causing the death of Princess
Diana
However, this idea of the media as the 4d Estate is
largely a western concept and this may not be the
case in Asian countries depending on the political
situation/climate in that countrV, the power the press
possesses/ the role of the press in that couniry, and
the attitude d{the citizenitowards the press.

4. Freedom of The Press

Should the Press be completely free? Of course here lies the paradox, because in order for
ln terms of freedom of expression, truth telling and being The Press to be free enough to iellthe truth, they also
the guardian of public interests, then perhaps The press have to be free enough to hide certain things from the
should be free. This freedom is not always about the public. This somewhat contradicts their role as truth,
freedom to write whatever they want to, but it is also the teller or even guardian of public int€rests. Thus, some
freedom to protect their sources, to search for regulation of The Press is necessary because, as
information unhindered/ unobstructed and freedom from mentioned before, journalists are also human and can
unreasonable lawsuits without which, The press would be have certain biasness and certain issues can actually
unable to do itsjob as truth teller, watchdog and guardian be too sensitive to discuss in public without
of public interest. supervision. Furthermore, there are some events that
when reported wrongly, rdn cduse md\\ pani( or
pandemonium which is largelV undesirable.
5. New Media
Together with the idea of the media being a source of
information is the idea of the lnternet- Currently the
newest form of transmitting information to a la€er than
imaginable number of people, the tnternet js still a
relatively new field in which people have little control
over, Many new rules and regulations are still beine

m osRJccpzooe
 the fllpside
passed in relation to it.

The rise of the lnternet

with the new media, more information is readily available
espec;ally in countries that have the proper infrastructure.
The new media, namely the lnternet, is an infinite source lnforrhalion overload
of information, real time and otherwise. Such information The availability of such abundance may not always be
is not only readily available, but easy to find and in a good thing as it makes it harder to choose. The
abundance as well, Furthermore, one can always be increase in choices also increases the time taken to
assured of the currency ofthe information as information make the choice and most end up not making a choice
is being updated constantly online. The new media hardly at all due to the tear ot makinS the wrong one.
has dated information due to the ease of access and thus Although more time is needed to make a choice due
the ability of participants to make changes as soon as it to the large variet, less time is given as choices are
happens. ln fact, it is this idea of real time that makes the constantly'updated' or'improved' sowe do not have
new media so attractive compaaed to other forms of enough time to reflect upon our choices before a new
traditionalmedia. one is introduced. Furthermore, these'new' products
Differenr from books. lhe lnlernet is r new expe'ienr F ir are so quickly replaced by'newer'products that we
information gathering and can allow-the user to make no longer have time to allow these products to run its
conneclron( all around the world, There i5 dn incredse in course in order to check for flaws or to even simply
communication, interconnectivity and interactivity. just learn enough about them to predict side effects.
lnformation on the lnternet is a combination of words, Eg: lpod, MSN Messenger, etc
images - still and moving and sound thal can be highly
interactive, this is something that traditional media cannot Questionable source
offer and would probably not be able to unless they too Easy access means anyone can change data or
take on the elements of new media eg: Ebooks. information easily and such changes may not be

Eg: Wikipedia

The idea of what is true will also become a lot more

complicated and the individual will have to start
playing a larger part in being responsible for the
facts/information that he/she gathers or r;sk never
knowing the truth or simply torsakin8 the right to
decide/form opinions for themselves.

Destroys ability to think deeply/ref lectively

lnformation doesn't necessary flow in a linear fashion
and can disrupt understanding. Constant pop-ups and
other online distractions can disrupt the flow of an
article and the reliance on pictures to tell a story can
also reduce linguistic proficiency.

f @sRJc GP 2oos
 the flipside
Citizen Journalism Loss of control
Yet, for all the harm that the lnternet can cause, it
This ability that the lnternet gives to the people
can
also bring about good in the form of freedom of inevitably means the loss of control of information by
expression. the proper authorities. lt also becomes harder to track
News can be reported by the people instead of by large and censor such information and by the time action is
corporations some ofwhich may have personalagendas_ taken, it is more often than not, already too late.
Ee: def;mation on blogs

Protection of lntellectual Property Rights

The nature of the internet also makes it difficult to
protect lP rights and since lntellectual property helps
sustain businesses, employment, and acknowledges
the effort of the author, it becomes important and
necessary to protect BUT the cost of doing so may be
too high to be worth the effort. Resources could be
diverted to other uses-
Eg: Piracy difficrrlt to resolve, torrent sites keep
appearing

there a necessity to censor now that jnformation can be easily accessed (free or for
ls a fee) on the jnternet?
WHO do we need ro proteLtl

Need
Protecting civil sensitivities, maintaining social order The right to expression & freedom of speech
argument
Sometimes, the danger may not be as clear. Even the
expression of one's emotions about a group of people Civil rights should not be curtailed in the absence of a
or situations can and may end up hurtjng others. €lear and present danger to the safety of others.
Freedom of expression should have limits as should Furthermore, so long as no illegal acts w-ore
any other {orm of free speech. committed in the creative process, the public should
have a choice in deciding whether to view the
resulting content.
The guard willguard themselves Censorship by the Government may not be fair

We have to trust the people we voted into power to
protect us. They must and will uphold moral standards
simply because they are expected to.
Eesides, censorship boards consist of a wide variety
people from all walks of life. Furthermore, these
appointments a.e changed regularly so that no one
pe6on can have his or her views dominate/decide
It takes no account of the differing standards of
education or maturity between children and youtht
or the varying attitudes towards parenting in different
households.
of
Who will guard the guards?
lf excessively inappropriate mater;al can influence the
people to act in an inappropriate manner, then

f @sRrccp2oos
 the tl!psie*e
what is acceptable or unacceptable for the people. ceftainly these ofiicials are not immune.
Moreover, the standards are simply guidelines and one
can alwdy( .hoose lo exercise self-censorship
We need to protect the young and those who don't The people know better

Parents. should be allowed to exercise their ri8ht to

Children are highly impressionable and may be prone
to imitating violence or other unacceptable behaviour'
Ihere is a very real risk of copycat crimes inspired by
depictions of criminal activity in the media, even if no
criminal act was committed during the creative
process.
censorship may help the artistic cause
teach their own children. Besides, correlation is
different from causation even if we believe that some
people with weaker morals are likely to be corrupted,
why should the rest of society be penalised for the
moral weakness of a few? There are lar better ways
of reducing the crime rate, with far less cost in civil
liberties, such as better policinS, tougher penalties on
actual crimes being committed, CCTV cameras, and
improved street lighting.
Censorship can harm the Arts

Adists may have to become more creative in order to Restrictions on expression stifle creativity and dilute
get around the restriction and furthermore, more the artist's original intention.
people may be in support of art if they can be assured lf something has been decreed by the Government to
that it will not offend or affect the sensitivities of be unsuitable for children, the odds of lhe general
public wanting to buck the trend and fund it are
somewhat slim
fcensorship may not be carried out as efJectively with Censorship is ultimately infeasible
the advent of modern technology, but that does not
mean we do not need it, With the advent of modern technology, text,
photographv and film can now be distributed on the
Even if some individuals manage to circumvent the internet. ln addition, if we censor something which
censorship measures, the Government has sent an depicts an unacceptable act or viewpoint, it merely
important message about what society considers to be sends it underground which will make it harder to
acceptable- The role o{ the state in sending social monitor. lt might also glamorise the ptohibited work
messages and setting social standards should not be and play to the forbidden fruit and counterculture
underestimated, and censorship (be it through bans or tendencies. Far better to keep such art accessible to
minimum age requirements) is an important tool in the public, where people can see {or themselves that
this process. it is "bad".l{the censorship board istruly acting in line
with public morals, it has nothing to fear from
transparency and letting the public decide for
themselvesthat a piece of art is unacceptable.

osRjc GP 2009
 the flipside
. why should the covemment restrict/regulate freespeec6?
Free speech is an inherently ambiguous concept that
reqoires definition and interpretation; Government is
the obvious place for such clarifications to be made,
but checks and balances need to be put in place in
order to prevent Governmental abuse.
Speech acts lead to physical acts.
Thus pornography, hate speech and poljtical polemic
are causally linked to rape, hate crimes, and
insuraection.
Exposing "bad" views by allowing them to be voiced
incieases the likelihood thattheywill be defeated:
Preciselywhythe Government should then have a hand
in regulating this and helping to explain matters clearly
and carefully. lf left to amateurs of public policy, the
consequences could possibly be devastating and
;rreparable.
F @sRrccP2ooe
t
It is a cod-given and inalienabla right: the right to
freedom of speech is too important io leave in the
hands of Government. An independent judiciary or
politically-independent body for assessing such
circumstances is the only place that can effectively
guarantee.
Allowing government censorship threatens to allow a
tyranny of the maiority:
In a healthy democracy it is vital that smaller groups
be heard, and there is no way to guarantee these
voices ifthe Government can restrict free speech.
The link between speech acts and physical acts is a
false one:
People who commit hats crimes are likely to have
read hale speech. people who ( ommit je( crimes dre
likely tohave watched pornography but not
necessarily the other way around. Viewers of
pornography and readers of hate speech are therefore
not incited to commit anything they otherwise would
Exposing "bad" views by allowing thern to be voiced
increases the likelihood that they will be deleated:
Exposing pornography, hate speech and political
polemic (extreme nationalism etc.)to society increase
the likelihood that it will be discredited and defeated,
rather than strengthened through persecution. This is
Milton's argument from "Areopagitica" (1644) - truth
 the flipside
Government mu't protect its citizens from foreign The ends iustifying the means is a common pit_tall ot
enemies and internal enemies _ thus treedom of allowing governments to suppress freedom of
speech can be acceptably curtailed during times ofwar speech:
in order to prevent propaganda and spying which might United States President Richard Nixon, in the
undermine the national interest. Watergate scandal for example, attempted to justify
the viol;tion of multiple laws of privacy and property
lrrespective of its US provenance, we recognise that in the name of national security.
"the most stringent protection of free speech would
not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theatre
and causing a panic." {Schenck v. United States, 3
March,1919).

Minors lack the judgment to filter through obscene

and graphic materials, making it ;mportant that
governments help do so