media censorship in U.S.

We debated over is the right to censor media ? programs of radio and television are controlled by government in order to keep programs doesn’t be harmful and offensive for American public .is this disobey on the right to freedom of speech ? according to the American Library Association ,censorship is the change in the access status of material ,made by a governing authority .such changes include :exclusion ,restriction ,removal or age grade level.censorship has limited newspapers ,television ,radio ,etc, not allowing them the right to free speech .this discussion is not only about media ,we want to know by these advanced technologies such as internet and its programs and day to day forward movement of it ,new problems has evolved .should the internet be restricted and regulated by government in order to protect today’s children ,or does this limited an individual’s right to free speech ?

Government may regulate or censor speech if it has a binding interest ,is a public concern ,or threatens national safety. William Turner writes that” Government may not restrict or penalize speech because of its content or its viewpoint .It must be remain neutral in the market place of ideas”

later I will explain more about the internet censorship in this country .:))

the history of freedom of speech ,part 1:

For the first time,in 399BC Socrates speaks to jury at his trial: 'If you offered to let me off this time on condition I am not any longer to speak my mind... I should say to you, "Men of Athens, I shall obey the Gods rather than you."'



1215 Magna Carta, wrung from the unwilling King John by his rebellious barons, is signed. It will later be regarded as the cornerstone of liberty in England.



1516 The Education of a Christian Prince by Erasmus. 'In a free state, tongues too should be free.



1633 Galileo Galilei hauled before the Inquisition after claiming the sun does not revolve around the earth.



1644 'Areopagitica', a pamphlet by the poet John Milton, argues against restrictions of freedom of the press. 'He who destroys a good book, kills reason itself.



1689 Bill of Rights grants 'freedom of speech in Parliament' after James II is overthrown and William and Mary installed as co-rulers.



1770 Voltaire writes in a letter: 'Monsieur l'abbé, I detest what you write, but I would give my life to make it possible for you to continue to write.



1789 'The Declaration of the Rights of Man', a fundamental document of the French Revolution, provides for freedom of speech .



1791 The First Amend-ment of the US Bill of Rights guarantees four freedoms: of religion, speech, the press and the right to assemble



1859 'On Liberty', an essay by the philosopher John Stuart Mill, argues for toleration and individuality. 'If any opinion is compelled to silence, that opinion may, for aught we can certainly know, be true. To deny this is to assume our own infallibility.'

Censorship in Australia

responsibility for censorship in Australia is divided between the states and the federal government .As we know Australia is federation .censorship of vidio ,games and internet sites in Australia are considerd to be rigid in the western world .In Australia the Federal Parliment has the power under the Australian constitution to make laws relating to communications and customs.under the communications power the federal government can regulate the broadcast media such as television and radio ,online services (internet)and under the customs power the import and export of printed matter ,audiovisual recording and computer games.
A collection of both federal and state laws apply, but the most important is the federal legislation which came into effect on January 1, 2000.If a complaint is issued about material on the Internet, the ACMA( Australian Communication and Media Authority) is empowered to examine the material under the guidelines for film and video. If it is found that a) the material would be classified R18+ or X18+, and the site does not have an adult verification system, or b) the material would be refused classification:


 If the site is hosted in Australia, the ACMA is empowered to issue a “takedown notice” under which the material must be removed from the site.

 If the site is hosted outside Australia, the site is added to a list of illegal sites.

 This list of illegal sites is then added to filtering software, which must be offered to all consumers by Internet Service Providers and Australian Government.

Definition

As Wikipedia adequately puts:"Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak without censorship or limitation, or both."


Nevertheless in practice, the right to freedom of speech is not absolute.

This bring few other terms such as "symbolic speech", "hate speech" and "protected speech".

In fact Symbolic speech is a legal term in United States law used to describe actions that purposefully and discernibly convey a particular message or statement to those viewing it, but Hate speech is a general term which occurs outside the law, any communication which disparages a person or a group on the basis of some characteristic such as race or sexual orientation.

The freedom of speech right is recognized as a human right under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) it stands in this particular definition:"The right to hold opinions without interference. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression."

By looking through history the Conception of freedom of speech can be found in early human rights documents.

The European Enlightenment,(the era in Western philosophy and intellectual, scientific and cultural life, centered upon the eighteenth century in which reason was advocated as the primary source for legitimacy and authority) was a crucial turnpoint in gradual emerging of the right to freedom of speech and expression.

In England’s Bill of Rights 1689,and French Revolution in 1789 it was adopted and specifically affirmed .In French Revolution it was called an inalienable right.

And UN had adopted it in 1948 as this statement :

"Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."

" LET ME TALK ,LET ME TALK ABOUT MY OPINION "

freedom of speech is freedom to speak and sharing your idea without any censorship and limitation .