Censorship Essays

The following essays will provide you and your team with many ideas on the different facets of censorship. Read the following essays carefully and suggest to your team mates on how the essay can be improved to meet the CIE AS Level requirements for General Paper 8001.

At the same time, improve on the mind-map that you and your teammates are working on.

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Censorship: Opinion

• Governments can censor what public sees or reads in the media
• To a certain extent censorship is necessary
• We should use censorship to protect children from violent images
• Some computer games involve killing people or committing crimes
• The Internet also needs to be controlled
• Many websites show pornography and violence
• There should be age limits for websites and computers games
• Parents need to take responsibility for checking what their children watch
• It is impossible for governments to control everything we see
• Video cameras in public places
• The use of CCTV is becoming widespread
• Video cameras have been installed in many public places
• They are supposed to protect us and deter criminals
• Many people think that this surveillance violates our privacy
• The authorities could build databases with our pictures and identities
• We should not be treated like criminals

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Some people believe that the internet should be regulated. Others are against any forms of internet censorship. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

The internet gives us access to limitless amounts of information. There is no denying the fact that it exposes us to both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ content. Some people believe that the internet should be regulated and censored. Others disapprove of any kind of censorship because they feel that the internet is a vent through which the oppressed can express their opinion.

Supporters of internet censorship argue that the internet has content that might be inappropriate for certain people. For example, they don’t want children to be exposed to the online terrorist propaganda or pornographic materials. This is indeed a valid point. The internet does host lots of materials that are inappropriate for young children.

However, many people do not regard this argument as legit. In their opinion there are several ways to block inappropriate content. Parental control software is one of them. It is quite effective and allows parents to control the content their children access online. In fact, parents can exercise the best form of control by simply moving the computer to the living room. This way they can keep a tab on their children’s online activities.

Some totalitarian governments use the inappropriate content argument for their benefit. They censor the internet to suppress their opposition. In my opinion, this cannot be tolerated at all. Governments that control the internet are merely demonstrating their inability to manage their affairs. They are afraid of their people and don’t want their opinions to be heard. National security is important but it cannot be at the expense of freedom.

To conclude, I firmly believe that there are no valid grounds for internet censorship. I sincerely hope that governments around the world will understand this and stop censoring the internet.

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Should TV programmes be controlled and shocking or offensive language and scenes be banned or is this censorship?

Television is a modern form of mass entertainment which is accessible to a large section of people, including children, because it is free. TV stations broadcast a large range of programmes, from documentaries and sports to reality and chat shows, in order to satisfy as many viewers as possible, increase the ratings and attract advertisers. Unfotunately, some of these programmes use offensive language and shocking or violent scenes and there is a controversy over the need for tight controls or even banning of such programmes. 

A strong argument for broadcast controlling is that children watch TV many hours a day and they may be exposed to inappropriate programmes such as reality shows or violent films. It is well known that children tend to adopt the language they hear and imitate the pictures they see and they may become insulting or violent. Therefore, TV stations should broadcast such programmes when children are in bed. Also, the authorities should impose fines and even prohibit broadcasts in case TV stations break the law. However, another group of people maintain that parents are responsible for what their children should watch on TV. After all, contemporary cartoons often show violence and weapon usage, as well as videogames. According to them, the most dangerous form of mass entertainment is, undoubtedly, the network. Thus, control should be exercised on internet surfing, as well.

Another argument of those in favour of broadcast controlling is that some TV programmes disrespect fundamental institutions such as human dignity or minority groups, reinforcing racism, ethnicity or sexual abuse. On the other hand, it is suggested that freedom of choice and freedom of expression should by no means be restricted. These offensive programmes only show the unpleasant side of reality and this is impossible to ignore.

In my opinion, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Children should be protected primarily from television influence and this is a matter that should concern both parents and the authorities. In addition, human dignity and freedom are fundamental institutions and both should be secured equally. Thus, I believe that TV programmes should be broadcast freely, unless they offend severely one or more angles of human dignity.

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 Do you believe that government should censor the internet?

It is undoubtedly that internet usage has become crucial nowadays. All people regardless of age, race, and background are using the internet. The world is connecting through the internet for including: running a business, shopping, and even getting education. However, not all the information provided in the internet is suitable for all internet users. Some of them bring disadvantages to the users especially children. The information in the internet is worldwide that all people can access it easily. There is some inappropriate content especially for children in the internet such as pornography, gambling and so on. In addition, users especially students and adults can be cheated if they engage in gambling. Furthermore, the internet provides computer games, which are the young people’s preferences. They tend to spend a couples of hours a day on it. As a result, other important work such as schoolwork and assignments are neglected. However, the internet has become the medium of sharing ideas on educational, social, and environmental issues. Such activities can bring benefits in terms of knowledge as well as the awareness of world issues. The internet also assists users make their lives easier and faster. For example, the banking facilities can help users pay their bills in just a minute without queuing up for almost an hour perhaps. In conclusion, internet information and services have assisted users in their daily life. We should manage it in the right way and do not misuse it. In my point of view, the government should not censor the internet for the people’s sake. On the other hand, the government should ban inappropriate web pages and encourage the knowledgeable ones.

Comments

Word Count: ????

A lot of grammar mistakes and some sentences are difficult to understand and the conclusion contradicts itself. Also there is no discussion of censorship in the text, but it appears in the conclusion.

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 "Censorship is rarely, if ever, justified."

Censorship is the act of criticizing something publicly because of its nature. On one hand, we are given the freedom of speech and expression and on the other hand, the censor boards that are set up to curb the information or put restrictions over the details meant for public take this freedom away. However, I disagree with the given statement that censorship is hardly ever justified. I believe that though it is undemocratic, censorship is justified as long as it is in general public interest.

We live in a society where people come from different backgrounds, religions, ethnic groups, casts and classes. What is acceptable in one class may not be acceptable to another class. Therefore, if an issue arises which is against the ideals of a particular class, it can arouse public ire. Sometimes this anger can take the shape of hooliganism and riots. Hence, it is best to put restrictions on the issue so that it is not made public. It is only with some checks and controls that all these classes can co-exist in harmony.

For example, when the media handles an issue, it has the freedom of speech and expression. The media persons and reporters have the right to put their point of view across to everyone. However, in the process of reporting any issue, the media also should not hurt the sentiments or feelings of any particular class or of people in general. It is possible that some such pictures are depicted on the television or some comments are published that arouse the anger of people. It is true that these pictures and comments show the reality but they are not in the favour of general peace and harmony. Such truth that can create a mob out of a group of people should be curtailed from being given out in the public by the means of censorship.

Let's take another example. A child can be molded to direction in his tender age. He gets affected by many things that he sees and hears. Therefore, if he is exposed to violent and action packed movies it can have a perverse affect on his mind and eventually on his attitude. In this case, it becomes very important to censor the movies as well as cartoons that depict aggressive behavior for children. While parents have a duty to put restrictions at a personal level, the censor board should keep a general check to restrict the screening of such movies for kids under a certain age group.

The media, writers, leaders as well as youth icons have a great influence on the public. Everything they say or do creates ripples amongst people. They, therefore, have an added responsibility of maintaining peace and harmony in the society. If they do something that is not accepted by people, it can create disturbance and chaos. That is why censorship is required over literary works, movies, and other things involved with these people to keep a check and control their behavior that can affect the public. It is correct that what they do in their life is their personal matter but they are not given the right to hurt the sentiments and feelings of others. It can be argued that censorship is against the right of people to be informed but it is necessary, to a great extent, for the development of a healthy society. It should not be used arbitrarily, but must be practiced at places that can cause harm to the society.

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Censorship is a hindrance to education. Discuss.

Censorship is a broad term. It not only means the censoring of the movies but also that of all kinds of media which can communicate information to people. Such media would include the radio, television, books, magazines, newspapers, journals and so on. All these media can be censored if the government desires to do so. Censoring means hiding some information either by removing it, changing it with a falsified story, or by using some other way that puts people in the darkness about the event concerned.

Censorship means concealing something from the audience. However, that concealment can have both positive and negative impacts upon education. For example, censorship is done over the movies and documentaries to ensure that the content they depict is not offensive to the minors and children. This has positive impact, in fact. Because violence and sexually explicit contents are more likely to have negative consequences upon the children, censorship can be considered positive in this case. 

However, sometimes the dictators and authoritative rulers can use the same tool to conceal their misdeeds. This might obscure the reality behind what had actually happened. This can thus, refrain the students from getting the true picture of those personalities who made such misconducts. Consequently, this can alter the lesson that the children learn from such events. This might, in some way, prove as hindrance to the education. 

Similarly, censorship can be used to hide the historical events from the public. For example, no one could know for real who assassinated the Late King Birendra of Nepal along with his whole family. Rumours held that his son Dipendra, who himself died in the incident, masterminded the assassination. Other rumours rejected this idea and accused the rebellion party's, the United Communist Party of Nepal (UCPN) Maoist, leaders. Some even blamed that the then King Gyanendra Shah was involved in the incident. However, no one was sure about the real culprit. The public were the ones who were in much chaos and dilemma about the incident all because of the multiple and contradicting hearsays. Whatever the consequences and the events that ensued, the concerned people in the incident were successful to conceal the reality behind this assassination and everyone, at least the public, were kept in the dark about the reality of this incident. Such incidents can hinder people from learning the truth about the incident and thus prove to be the sources of hindrance for the people studying history.

Also censorship can prove to be hindrance to the right of the people to educate themselves about the reality behind haps and mishaps. For example, censorship can be used to control the flow of news and thus deprive people of their right to get true information. China can be a great example of censoring media. It even used to censor the search results provided by the search giant, Google. There was a remarkable controversy regarding this matter when Google once threatened to stop providing search facility citing the reasons that it was getting repeated hack-attempts from Chinese users who wanted to obtain uncensored information. However, it later continued to provide search results when China refused to stop censoring. Google's reason for continuing was the Chinese users would be worse-off if Google stopped its service completely in China. 

In the end, the censorship becomes an effective tool to regulate the flow of information if the government can implement it strictly. Some of the times, it serves the purpose of not offending the audience. However, most of the times it helps the authorities to conceal truth which directly attacks a person's right to get the correct information. Therefore, censorship can become a hindrance to education in many cases.

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Censorship is essential to a well-functioning society. Discuss.

The idea behind this essay is to group different types of censorship and evaluate their importance to a “well-functioning” society. Importantly, consider the conflict between maximizing informationand minimizing disruption

[Yes, this is an essay which requires you to balance how much information should be freely available and whether that society is able to cope with that level and content of information without the Government stepping in to regulate.]

Thesis: Based on the potential for the content to cause disruption as well as the capacity of society to accept such content, censorship is necessary to different extents

T1a: Censorship that neuters radical messaging is essential for society’s security

• Following the 2005 London bombings, it was seen as essential for the House of Commons to amend the Terrorism Act to criminalize the dissemination of terrorist publications. This led to the arrest of Samina Malik who was found to have written poems like ‘Lyrical Terrorist’ that glorified terrorist leaders
• [Valid TS]

T1b: Censorship that holds back state secrets from the public and thus possible actors of espionage is essential for society’s security

• The Office of Censorship established by the US during WWII kept the Manhattan Project a secret within and outside of the US so as to prevent espionage and sabotage, leading ultimately to a decisive US victory in the Pacific theatre of war following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• [Valid TS]
• [However you can refer to the torture programme at Guantanamo Bay that this brutal torture of prisoners should not have been kept secret from the public as the torture techniques were against humanity. In 2014, the Senate Intelligence Committee released a report on the CIA’s interrogation and detention of suspected terrorists in Guantanamo.

T1b ext: Censorship must be temporary and lifted after the threat to security has passed. Not only is there little reason to do otherwise, further, civil disorder and discontent may result.

• President Richard Nixon’s refusal to release the Pentagon Papers (on US political-military involvement in Vietnam) resulted in public discontent that culminated in the New York Times Co. v. United States ruling where the First Amendment constitutional freedom of the press was ultimately preserved
• This should only be done after the information has been considered declassified.

T2: Censorship that limits more dangerous forms of expression is advisable for society’s stability (based on vulnerabilities of society)

• Singapore’s need for social cohesion due to its multicultural makeup demands the censorship of inflammatory remarks against other races. The Sedition Act was called into use to take down Doggiesite.com which contained racist remarks against the Malay community. Similarly, Singapore’s intricate religious composition justified the use of the Sedition Against 21-year-old blogger with the moniker “Char” who posted disparaging caricatures of Jesus Christ
• [Valid]

T3: Censorship that shuts controversial ideas from society is acceptable where society is not ready for such content; this enables society to progress safely. Where these controversial ideas go against the prevailing notions/thoughts/beliefs, then it is better to hold them back

• Censorship allowed Singapore to mature safely in its acceptance of alternative lifestyles. The removal of LGBT material in post-independence Singapore under the Undesirable Publications Act and the Newspaper and Printing Presses Act was congruent with its prevailing conservatism. This has arguably enabled a controlled maturation of our populace today, with its increasing liberalism evident in the recent outcry against NLB’s decision to pulp “And Tango Makes Three”. Further, Singapore’s growing emphasis on LGBT issues extends to its art scene, to the extent that established playwrights like T Sasitharan are criticized for avoiding such issues.
• [The outcome to the NLB saga though, was that the 2 removed children’s books will go into adult section at the library instead of pulping them.]

Antithesis: Censorship, for withholding information from society, should be minimized

AT1: Censorship deprives society of information essential for social and political progress

• Japan pressurises its textbooks publishers to gloss over World War II and wipe out information on Japanese atrocities → Japanese nationalism to the extent that they do not recognise their faults.
• [Valid]

AT2: Censorship can be abused by governments to excessively limit political dissent (to the point of detriment)

• Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Populist but authoritarian Turkish leader who claimed that Twitter was a bad influence on society in 2011 and later sought to ban it. Because it was being used by Feuthullah Gulen’s supporters. During this period he was being increasingly authoritarian and non-consultative. “Destroy traitors to the state” Read Project Syndicate article on populism.
• Kuo Pao Kun: The four-year-long detainment of Kuo Pao Kun under the Internal Security Act for his highly politicised and critical Chinese plays proved more than effective in censoring his dissent, cited as an experience so “sobering” that he never wrote another overtly political play. (And was later awarded the Cultural Medallion)
• Note counter-argument:

• Turkish citizens and other members of government marched in protest against Twitter Ban
• Sufficiently progressive society will reject censorship by governments to the extent that they do not accept it – in this case appears reasonable.
• [Valid]

AT3: Existence and possibility of censorship decries the idea of freedom of expression

 If the authorities are able to suppress publications which nobody has seen, it becomes impossible for others to verify whether the suppression was indeed justified; it is a question of time before such an unchecked power is abused to prevent criticism of government. [Valid]

Synthesis

S1: Censorship of political dialogue is essential to a well-functioning government, censorship of non-political dialogue contributes to a well-functioning society. But, whether a well-functioning government results in a well-functioning society cannot be guaranteed.

• Note that even well-functioning governments can abuse censorship to the detriment of society. Censorship may be considered a sort of damnatio memoriae, applied to both people and events such that the most basic facts that inform people of their relative impoverishment, and of gross injustices, are erased from the record. In that sense, censorship maintains an impenetrably placid, idyllic image that belies deeply disturbing undercurrents.
• [Depends on what political dialogue. Not all. And quite unusual to have political dialogue censored. The dialogue should be censored not because it is political but perhaps because it is subversive.]

S2: Different forms of censorship have different effectiveness and thus they are essential to different degrees

• Bans – Never truly effective and circumvention is always possible, as enabled by platforms such as proxy servers and underground networks. Nonetheless, they are arguably essential in symbolising a society’s values.
  • China’s ban on pro-democratic content and mention of contentious events in its history like the June Fourth Incident (or better known as the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests).
  • Singapore’s 100-site ban on online porn and other questionable sites is a clear example of a ban that is merely symbolic.
• Partial bans – As opposed to complete bans where all content is indiscriminately silenced, partial bans allow users the benefit of retaining access to rest of the information that is not ‘unsafe’
  • This is practiced in the censorship of vulgarities in songs aired on the radio (vs banning the song entirely)
• OB markers – Essential in encouraging self-censorship. Note that the hazier the distinction between permissible and unacceptable content, the more effective OB markers are as a form of self-censorship.
  • This is particularly effective in the case of Singapore, where the damnation suffered by J. B. Jeyaretnam, Chee Soon Juan and Roy Ngerng are more than sufficient in instilling wariness and posing a deterrence to political dissent.
  • But, their haziness also creates more room for abuse – the alleged ‘line’ determined by OB markers has been reported to be drawn after a flare-up, as and when it suits the needs of the government
• Advisory ratings (e.g. R21, M18 etc)- The viewer is given the freedom and responsibility in deciding what he should be allowed to view.

S3: Censorship is reactionary and insulates. While censorship can protect society from harmful information, it does not target the root cause of the problem. Terrorism proliferates unabated even in spite of the active censorship of its ideologies, proof of its failure in addressing the root causes of oppression, of poverty and of implacable resentment.  Visibly, censorship is essential but not sufficient for a well-functioning society

[Thesis, Anti-Thesis and Synthesis contain a good selection of examples and excellent language use. If this is your own piece of work, keep it up. If you have obtained this from some other source, you need to see how a different authour’s piece of writing is able to suit your own writing style. Most students trip up when they take a huge leap forward; forcibly introducing material and content which they do not have a good grasp into their own writing, such that the result is that the entire essay looks like a patch work of mediocre and spontaneously brilliant writing.  An additional point to consider for this essay is the censorship on sex and violence in media in different societies. This point wasn’t really thoroughly explored in this essay outline. Nonetheless, a very good and detailed outline which deserves an A.]

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8004, 2014, Oct/Nov Paper 1
12 To what extent is censorship essential in advertising?

Keywords: ‘To what extent’ and ‘censorship’ and ‘essential’ and ‘advertising’.
• Monitor offensive material
• Identify misleading claims (e.g. consumer protection)
• Protect children (e.g. watershed)
• Prevent scams
• Protect health (e.g. smoking)
• Protect vulnerable
• Too much political correctness
• Censorship unnecessary after the watershed
• Nanny state (in a democracy)
• Overstates the actual influence of advertising
• Censorship is at the whim of various prejudices and attitudes