Media Censorship

Today there is much controversy over whether there should or shouldn’t be censorship of the media. Censorship should not be imposed on citizens by the government or other agencies; adults have a right to view or listen to what they choose. Additionally, if children’s media is censored, parents are the ones who should monitor and regulate it. Parents should be the ones to monitor children’s viewing of television and also what they hear on the radio, CD’s, and tapes.

Censorship includes the examination and blocking of books, periodicals, plays, films, television and radio programs, news reports, and other communication media that is shown to, or available to the public. Media censorship is sometimes put into place because content is immoral or obscene, heretical or blasphemous, seditious or treasonable, or injurious to the national security. It is supposedly used for the protection of the family, the church, and the state. Additionally some religious groups, opposed to the violence shown in different types of media, say censorship works. Still more that believe in civil rights think that it is an unnecessary violation of the right to freedom of speech for all humans.

Well what I have mentioned above is just something about Media Censorship, what I am actually going to tell you is an incident that happened in Gujarat. In Gujarat after the Godhra case, the then CM Mr. Narendra Modi, did something which lead to unjust and illegal Media Censorship.

This is what happened;

• Accreditation cards of undesirable journalists are not renewed. Even the cards that given are renewed are on 3-4 month basis.
• For the last almost two decades media representatives were traveling 28 Kms from Ahmadabad to Gandhinagar and back in Government bus. The Present Chief Minister stopped the Vehicle facility to reporters, and banned the briefing by ministers.
• The PRESSROOM in the Sachivalaya was locked.
• The Present Chief Minister is not accessible to media in general and reporters in particular.
• Advertisements to newspapers have been reduced to minimum while cases have been slapped against number of newspapers on all kind of grounds.

These are just a few things that happened. This shows how ministers in India, take away the rights of Media to hide there ill deeds when they fear that even they could be caught. Our constitution allows them to do so. Well is it right.

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