Conceptual framework of censorship

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Conceptual framework of censorship

• Definitions
• Censorship and regulation
• Characteristics of censorship
• Forms of censorship

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Article 10 of the European Convention on Human
Rights

• Everyone has the right to freedom of
• expression. This right shall include freedom to
• hold opinions and to receive and impart
• information and ideas without interference by
• public authority and regardless of frontiers.

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Arguments in favour of freedom of speech

• Two groups of arguments
• human rights or individual arguments Freedom
  of speech is vital for self-development of
  individuals
• societal arguments Freedom of speech is vital
  for democracy.

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Arguments in favour of restricting the freedom of
speech

• national security
• territorial integrity
• public safety
• public order
• public health and morals
• the reputation or rights of others
• confidential private information
• the impartiality of legal proceedings
• the public from crime.

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Two approaches to regulation

• Content regulation specific demand of press
  insitutions to cover certain kinds of issues, to
  cover them in a certain way, or to provide access
  to certain points of view
• Structural regulation builds rules and
  constraints into the structure and organisation
  of the media taken as a whole (e.g. prohibition
  of cross-media ownership, subsidies to certain
  kind of publications to ensure plurality of ideas
  etc)

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You see these dictators on their pedestals,
surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and
the truncheons of their police. Yet in their
hearts there is unspoken - unspeakable! - fear.
They are afraid of words and thoughts! Words
spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home, all the
more powerful because they are forbidden. These
terrify them. A little mouse - a little tiny
mouse! - of thought appears in the room, and even
the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic.
Winston L Spencer CHURCHILL (1874-1965)
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Censorship is...

• ... the control over the flow of thought over
  the content, forms and distribution of the public
  information and opinion, and a mechanism
  executing this control.
• Censorship, at present, refers to the
  examination of books, periodicals, plays, films,
  television and radio programs, news reports and
  other communication media for the purpose of
  altering or suppressing content regarded to be
  objectionable or offencive.

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(No Transcript)
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Voltaire

• I detest what you say, but I will defend to the
  death your right to say it.

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British Board of Film Classification

• Established in 1912 as British Board of Film
  Censors.
• Examines commercially released film and video
  production in the UK.

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Evolution of censorship

• Stage 1 The main threat heresy organised
  religion/the Church exercises censorship without
  the legal framework.
• Stage 2 The main threat political and social
  instability. The State incorporates censorship
  into laws (Sedition Acts etc).
• Stage 3 Freedom of expression is protected by
  law. Censorship is exercised outside the legal
  framework.

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Censorship is
Preventive
Restrictive
Intrusive
Destructive
Forbidden by censorship book of an Estonian
author in exile. Two hexagons on the top right
corner classify the book as especially
dangerous.
Secret
Hypocritical
Prescriptive
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Forms of Censorship

• Pre-publishing censorship (preventive)
  examination of the content before making it
  public
• Post-publishing censorship (repressive)
  examination of the content after making it
  public.

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Forms of Censorship

• Passive censorship (within the conditions of
  institutionalised censorship) avoiding
  deliberately topics, names etc that are
  politically sensitive and can hinder publishing
• Self-censorship (within the conditions of freedom
  of the press) purposefully avoiding sensitive
  topics according to respective directions from
  politicians or authorities.
• Corporate censorship- business interests
  prevail over public interest.

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Other forms of censorship depending on the object

• Political censorship
• Religious censorship
• Postal CS
• Theatre CS
• Film Cs
• Etc, etc, etc.

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Three universal commands of media business
Do whatever it takes to maximise audience
minimise costs dont embarrass big advertisers
or the owners other interests (John McManus,
1997 Whos responsible for journalism?)
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Home assignment

• 1. Characterize current discussion on the
  Internet censorship.
• Deadline Sept 28.
• 2. Make a summary of John Miltons Areopagitica.
  http//darkwing.oregon.edu/rbear/areopagitica.htm
  l
• Deadline Sept. 28.
• 3. Reading Who controls expression?
• In compendium (4). Sept. 21.