Censorship can never be justified, do you agree?

Censorship can never be justified, do you agree?

In a democratic society like ours, it is believed that every man should have the freedom of saying whatever he wants to, it seems so important that the press should be given complete freedom. Complete freedom here being the press should not be restricted in any manner, to be allowed to publish anything the wish, without the implementation of censorship. The press has been fighting for completed freedom right from a start to make do with censorship, but before we make a decision, we should consider whether censorship is justified.

In some parts of the world, the press has more freedom than other parts due difference in censorship. In communist countries such as China, the press belongs to the state and can publish anything they wish to, as long as it is on the side of the state – nothing more. Whereas in democratic countries such as the US, the press has a certain measure of freedom. It can raise its voice against the government or even take the stand of the opposition party and attack the government – as long as they keep within the law.

Having explained freedom and censorship, here is the real catch. It is the government which decides what the law is. Therefore, following this line of argument, the press’s freedom can be curbed by just passing new laws. This is very possible in the case of Singapore where despite growing power of the opposition parties, the government still holds higher power. It is possible for the government to ban papers which they feel are against them. Then again, as Singapore is a democratic society, citizens are supreme and can always vote the government out if any unfair practices are made.

The government giving complete freedom to the press without having censorship may not necessarily be the most desirable situation. In a society where absolute freedom is given to only a particular group of persons, it is as good as giving permission to write anything about any issue or on anyone. This will lead to a fear of the press. Newspapers have already been known to destroy public figures by prying into their private lives and publishing news about them. Much of there tabloids contain sensational news but serve little purpose. Being a business itself, newspapers will publish anything to sell copies, to gain profit as the expense of the lives of others. People’s lives may be destroyed from such harassment.

In conclusion, my view is that the press can only be given freedom up to a point where it does not encroach on the freedom or the good of the state. No one, including the press should be given so much freedom that he is able to cause damage to others. Perhaps in future, when the press becomes absolutely responsible, this situation can be reviewed. For now, censorship is not only justified but also necessary as there are tendencies of misusage of freedom.

Links to articles:
http://en.epochtimes.com/news/6-11-10/47995.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZk4PpIue2s
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/society/A0857225.html