Freedom of Expression Essay

Although we, as citizens of this country, are guaranteed freedom of speech and press by the first amendment, we are encouraged to “watch what we say”. In order to avoid unnecessary violence and to keep people from being offended, it is recommended the certain things be censored. While many may look at this censorship as a well-needed percussion it can reversely be seen as going against one's first amendment rights, in itself causing controversy.

However, the amount of censorship on arts and media has been recently declining, “it’s ben glacial, but it’s happening” (Sterngold 8). Individuals who disagreed with the amount of censorship and the ideas or values being censored stood up and spoke what they believed. With the years of struggle, the pressure groups and individuals eventually won, resulting in less censorship in media. With less censorship, it allows people to speak what they believe, without fearing how society will react.

In order to find truth to anything, one must make multiple suggestions, ask many questions, and sometimes ponder the unspeakable. Without doing so, there would be no process of elimination; therefore, truth would be virtually unattainable. Now, in our attempts to either find truth, express our beliefs and opinions, or generally use the rights we are given constitutionally, we are often being criticized and even reprimanded. Our freedom to voice our opinion(s) is being challenged, as critics of free speech are taking offense to what seems like anything and everything merely controversial and arguably prejudice. As people continue to strive for a nation free of prejudice and discrimination, where everyone is equal, safe and

There was a time where media and the government worked alongside each other in a symbiotic relationship, such as with President Franklin D. Roosevelt during his Fireside Chats in the midst of the Great Depression. Their job was to promote FDR and help him keep the American people informed on what he was getting done in Washington. Even if the media the president were on bad terms, prior to Nixon, journalism never really forged a large crusade to take down political leaders as they do now. In the wake of the Watergate scandal, however, that dynamic changed completely. Bob Woodward’s and Carl Berstein’s single-minded pursuit of the real perpetrators of Watergate

Over the course of American history, many have taken the First Amendment right of freedom of speech and created wonderful things out of it. Alice Paul is an excellent example: she utilized her right to free speech and press to promote the equality of women and earned them the right to vote, in the midst of World War I. However, many take it the other way and create hate speeches where they tear down one particular group or individual or idea with their crude and blunt remarks. Yet, they are protected by the freedom of speech and the government cannot interfere with their actions, causing many to argue the First Amendment Right cannot be extended to anyone making hurtful remarks. Hate speeches need to be protected by the freedom of speech, as shown in legal documentation, moral issues, and the benefits it creates.

Censorship is defined by Caso as the suppression of speech or any other public communication which may be considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive politically incorrect as determined by the government or any other control body (3). Censorship may be justified from the conservative view whereby the free speech can be maltreated where it undermines the customary principles and communal solidity as withheld by a particular community.

Censorship may be protection from inappropriate materials, but it also limits free speech. For the limitation of free speech, it is reasonable why people are emphatically against censorship. It is understood that there is a need to filter some of the materials released in today’s society, but too much is being done by people who have no right meddling with everyone’s rights. Civilization has always been plagued by a never ending battle being fought over what is deemed right and wrong. In today’s culture, censorship oppresses everything in the media. From movies and music to television and even news stories, most of the content viewed today has been filtered one way or another. Restrictions have been in place since early societies have been

     The media provides the public political issues, which sets the agenda for political discussion. In theory the media tries to attune themselves to the interest of the public, but “in most instances the media severs as conduits for agenda-setting efforts by competing groups and forces” (Ginsberg, Lowi & Weir, 1999, p. 298). To gain public support, groups and forces need media coverage to promote their ideas. However, the media has great control over which issues they televise. The issues must have media appeal or be considered newsworthy.

Freedom of speech is more than just the right to say what one pleases. Freedom of speech is the right to voice your opinion on certain topics or dilemmas around you. This basic right given to us in the First Amendment is being challenged by colleges who encourage “freedom of speech” with certain restrictions.

Around 50 million people watch CBS, ABC, or NBC every single night in order to obtain information from the day. Since the amount of people watching a news channel every night is so great, the media has had a great effect on the lives of everyone living in the United States. In our state and local government regions, each and every news channel or newspaper is going to take a certain view and stand-point on what the people say, think, and believe. Media effects are classified as direct or indirect, and the Media itself as well as the people behind the headlines can create positive as well as negative publicity. The media also has ways of going about their business and they even have their own terms for what they do, and how it should be

Large media corporations influence how information provided to us is covered. They do whatever it takes to get people to consider their form of media. “Of all the cartel 's dangerous consequences for American society and culture, the worst is its corrosive influence on journalism (Miller 2001). In journalism, one used to be able to ask questions and have both sides of the story; now, journalism has transitioned to creating drama and making up fact. Once channels, radio stations, and newspapers get dominated, they no longer cover the whole story, instead, they only cover a portion of it and emphasize certain parts more than others. Their goal is to try to sell their form of media and get views. The cartels do not care whether the information provided is factual or not. Lots of people liked what Fox’s owner Murdoch did, it was attracting lots of viewers because of the shouting and the scandals that would go on Fox News; and at that time CNN went to the capital to seek advice from rightist polls to get more viewers (Miller 2001). CNN wanted to get more views like Fox, so they also went to look for advice on how to attract more viewers. While making the decision on how things get covered, the large media corporations also take the time to slip in messages that will benefit

Freedom of the Press is a yearly report by U.S-based non-governmental organization freedom house, measuring the level of freedom and editorial independence enjoyed by the press in every nation and significant disputed territories around the world. Levels of freedom are scored on a scale from 1 (most free) to 100 (least free). Depending on the basics, the nations are

It is evident that the hotly debated issue concerning media censorship is hardly started, especially in today’s ever changing media. With the ever changing medial rules and regulations, media authorities are always on their toes with regards to evaluating what is fit for publication or broadcast. This article aims at highlighting both the pros and cons of censorship.

Thousands of our nation's men and women were fighting for their country, yet the media limited the amount of information that they chose to pass on to the public. Each day the media is faced with the choice of making decisions of what news to pass on, when that news could make a significant difference in someone's life, or in the fate of our nation.

Among the various articles that have been read thus far, there is a commonality that all of them share: the notion of censorship. In this regard, censorship refers to restrictions on freedom of speech. Opponents of censorship suggest that limiting what can be expressed because it incites discomfort and uneasiness inhibits our ability to learn and understand other perspectives. In the UChicago letter, John