Media Censorship Research Paper

Submitted By jon83
Words: 1268
Pages: 6

Johnny Leon

05/28/14

Ethics Essay

Period:4

Media Censorship

Introduction
As an American society, we tend to have pride in our freedom of expression. Though, forces larger than the individual control what we see, hear and ultimately determine as appropriate. Censorship which is defined as “the official government suppression of any public expression that a governing authority believes to threaten either its power or the accepted social and moral order” is a tool that currently restricts what the general audience can and cannot see. In the society today technology has advanced tremendously since the last years and with that came the growth of the internet as well. As you may know that the internet is staple in today's society, many people use it to check the weather, news, social media, and other basic needs. But what if every time you need to search something up, it first must bypass through a filter in which the government looks at it and considers on whether to let you see it or not let you see it? Unfortunately these certain scenarios go on throughout the world, such as in China. In this paper I will explain why censoring certain type of information on the internet is morally wrong and that people mustn't live in world where the truth is hidden from them.
Chinese Media Policy
For years now the Chinese government has long kept their strict reins on both traditional and new media to avoid potential subversion of its authority. This frequently results in strict media control, using monitoring systems, shuttering publications or websites, and/or jailing

dissident journalists, bloggers, and activists. In the Chinese constitution it is stated that its citizens have their freedom of speech and press, but Chinese media regulations include vague language that allows the authorities to crack down on news stories by claiming that they expose secrets and thus endanger the country and the people within it. In the month of April, 2010 the
Chinese Government revised on its existing law on guarding state secrets to restrict its control over information flows. The amendment strengthens requirements for internet companies and telecommunications operators to cooperates with Chinese authorities in investigating leaks of state secrets to the public. But the definition of state secrets remain unclear in the Chinese government, as censorship of any information is deemed harmful to their political or economic interests. Following the months afterwards of this revisions the Chinese government issued its first “White Paper” on the internet that emphasized the concept of “Internet Sovereignty”, this required all internet users in China, including foreign organizations and individuals, to comply with Chinese laws and regulations. Furthermore Chinese internet companies are companies are now required to sign the “Public Pledge on Self­Regulations and Professional Ethics for China’s internet industry” which requires even more harsh rules than those in that of the “White Paper”.
Google vs China
Google, which is one of the most high rated internet companies in the world and has one of the most fastest and greatest search engines as well. Google provides its search engine to at most any country so anyone can search any news, event, video, and media they want, but recently in the past years China has denied this idea that “anyone can search up anything” and therefore has limited Google’s search in order to keep any malicious information authorities deem harming to their country and people. In order for the people in China to still use a search

engine and look up important articles, events, or media, Google China, which had some limitations that had to also bypass through a filter to manage searches if they were safe or not, was made which was subsidiary of Google. Then later in January 2010, there had been an incident in which Google was involved in a cyber attack that had originated