CENSORSHIP

CENSORSHIP

by Patricia Kim

"The suppression of ideas and information that certain people find objectionable or dangerous." The previous phrase written by the American Library Association sounds like a common notion from a communist regime or a wartime slogan. However, there is a certain degree of truth as suppression still exists all over the world in newspapers, books, politics, business, and the media.

    This is called censorship. It's a deadly method used against free-willed people that is even more dangerous than guns or knives. Censorship is especially effective when applied to mass media since the public is most influenced by it. People have no choice but to believe what they see; what they see is what the media want them to.

    Who controls the censorship? Who decides on what should be shown to the public? Usually it is the large corporations that hold powerful authority or governments that give themselves the right to filter information. Censorship would not be much of a problem if the authorities based their censoring standards on morals and human rights. Problems and issues pertaining to the expurgation of ideas arise because the standards are corrupted with power, money, and contracts.

    Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to avoid editing in today's society. For every liberal who declares freedom of speech and press, there will always be a conservative who argues against vulgar information or images thrown out into the public.

Yet as Potter Stewart, a former associate justice of the U.S. Supreme court, said, "Censorship reflects a society's lack of confidence. It is a hallmark of authoritarian regime."

    If censorship is inevitable, it should be the people who censor certain content themselves, rather than relying upon censorship abused by the government.