Censorship in Media
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press..." (United States Constitution 1789). Throughout the history of the United States of America, the Constitution has always been put to the test. The founders of this great country originally created the first amendment to allow colonists to speak out against the British. In the 17th century, the press was accurate and informative with little competition among journalists. But today in the 21st century the circumstances are different and the stakes are higher. Due to incredibly high amount of competition among journalists today, the information is usually exaggerated in order to capture a viewing audience.Censorship is defined as "Policy of restricting the public expression of ideas, opinions, conceptions, and impulses, which are believed to have the capacity to undermine the governing authority or the social and moral order which authority considers itself bound to protect" (Abraham 357). Political, religious, obscenity, and censorship affecting academic freedom are all equal in their destructiveness towards free speech. "There are two different forms that censorship
efore the '94 election, members of Congress feared Limbaugh's power. "In the Senate, a bill referred to as the "Hush Rush" was designed to silence him, although it did not pass" (Corry 50). In the early to mid 1990s the audience of Rush Limbaugh had grown considerably. Radio stations carrying the Limbaugh Show had increased. In restaurants, there were areas called "The Rush Room" where you could eat and listen to him on the radio. Limbaugh speaks his mind as he constantly puts down democrats, liberals, and anything or anyone who does not share his views. At times the information Limbaugh provided was inaccurate. For example on June 27, 1993 Limbaugh played a tape from June 21, 1993 in which Secretary Lloyd Benson stated that the new Clinton budget plan would bring the stock market down. "A proud Limbaugh failed to recognize that on June 27, 1993 the Stock Market, Dow Jones, and NASDAQ index had risen since June 21, 1993" (Shank 9). Due to the increase in Limbaugh's popularity, he was granted both a radio and a television show. His influence on the public was clear in the '94 elections in which the newly elected Congressional majority was Republican. B! The media feels that they should act as a "watchdog." This causes many of the ethical problems among the media because they assume the responsibility of keeping a check on the government, by acting as governmental critics, governmental experts, etc. The media digs, researches, and snoops in governmental affairs, which eventually leads the media to speculate and create rumors while they are trying to expose corruption. This "watchdog" attitude of the media creates the idea that the government is evil and must constantly be checked. But according to Lisa Orr, "Nobody checks the checker" (63). The power that the media has is derived from its ability to mold the public opinion by presenting exaggerated and biased coverage of events. The media functions as the national judge and jury. It tarnishes the reputations of many people just like the McCarthy trials. We live in a capitalist society in which money is our main motive. A journalist today is not concerned with telling the truth on an issue, but what they can say that will sell and make the most money. A journalist named Nicholas Von Hoffman wrote, "Butchers make sausage. Newspapers make public affairs. Has that hunger driven the media out of control?" (Nachman 26) O.J. Simpson also went on the say in that interview that the media only showed the people that were upset on his released and held signs that said "Butcher of Brentwood." "They did not show the hundreds of people that waved to him or gave him a thumbs up as he walked out of the California jail" (Jet 39).
Some common words found in the essay are:
America Constitution, Simpson American, Noam Chomsky, Supreme Court, Lewis B14, Stern Radio, OJ Simpson, John Silber, Fairness Doctrine, Rush Limbaugh, oj simpson, radio television, howard stern, nachman 26, power media, supreme court, fairness doctrine, infinity broadcasting company, infinity broadcasting, broadcasting company, 27 1993, june 27 1993, supreme court heard, june 21 1993,
Approximate Word count = 2349
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)
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