7 Contributors
in this discussion.
The media sometimes goes too far in taking the position that they have the right to know and report everything that is going on. I believe that there are times that National Security may be dependent upon some things remaining confidential. The media should never report anything that would compromise our National Security and the Government should have the right to intervene in those cases.
With so many parents having to work late nights to make ends meet, there are children at home alone more, watching television. The government should censor what the media is allowed to air and talk about. Kids, as well as senior citizens, can become very upset if the media is not censored.
Currently, our country is embroiled in partisan politics partially flamed by the partisan media. Outlets such as Fox News which deliberately spread untrue statements such as the fact that Obama is not born in the United States should be shut down. On the other spectrum, Keith Obermann should also be censored for his inflammatory remarks on the left. News should be news and not anything else.
News media has gotten to a dangerous point. Much of what is reported is so slanted or biased that actual 'news' is lost behind belief and ideology. It needs a major overhaul, or even a complete rebuild. But government censorship would take the problem to the extreme. It would not protect the public from misinformation or media-produced hysteria. It would simply blind the public even further.
The government has no right at all to censor media. The public deserves to know the whole truth and nothing but the whole truth. We would be making a huge disservice to the public if we would allow our government to control what could and could not be said. Everything we would read would be even more skewed and messed up than it is now.
There are those that would argue that censoring the media helps keep people from making bad decisions and doing foolish things, in response to what they see and hear. While this may be, in part, true, one must consider the fact that censoring the media also keeps people from having the opportunity to make good decisions and wise choices, in response to what they hear. We should have free access to all information, so that we are fully informed in all our decisions.
I do not believe that media censorship protects the public. If the media has access to information that affects people, the people have a right to know what is happening. It can have a real effect on the outcome of a situation. For instance, in Libya today, the people are struggling to obtain their freedom from Moamar Gadhafi and his government. Those who are being brutalized by government forces need to know that the world supports their position. This will affect how hard they will fight for their freedom, because it will give them the impetus they need in the face of a seemingly hopeless situation.