Media Censorship as a Fundamental Process - Essay Example

Media censorship refers to the process of restricting the content of the mass media. Such are the messages the media conveys to its target audience. The government often imposes censorship on specific mass media content while the mass media managers on the other hand also impose several self-censorship. Both are always vital and beneficial given the circumstances that inform their imposition. Even though the public has the right to information, some information may have adverse effects on peace and stability in society. 

The government on the other hand through the Department of Information imposes strategic censorship on the media thereby regulating the information that reaches the public. Among the basic justifications for the various forms of censorship is the need to uphold the moral values of a society. Moral censorship requires the removal of any obscene content from the messages. Pornographic content, images of dead bodies, and images of victims of sexual assault have moral implications. As such, both the government and the mass media managers must always either eliminate or conceal such images.

Government intelligence must also always remain with the government. This implies that the government must always censor specific information that concerns some of the most vital features of the government. Military intelligence among other information that concerns national security is vital to the safety and stability of the country. As such, the government must always regulate the content that reaches the public. Military censorship is therefore important in a country since such intelligence and tactics enhance the security of a country and the country’s ability to counter external aggression (Magoon 54). Political censorship on the other hand is always the most contentious form of censorship since the public would always want to know the pertinent information concerning the stability of the country. However, both the government and the mass media managers should always censor the content with the view to eliminating any derogatory information that may destabilize the nation.

In retrospect, media censorship is a fundamental process that influences the information that reaches the public. The media remains an important establishment in a society that influences public opinion and sets the agenda in a country. As such, censorship becomes vital since it provides a way for the regulation of public opinion thereby contributing to the stability of a country. The government must not always limit the information that reaches the public. Military information for example is vital details that concern the stability and vulnerability of a country especially to external aggression. As such, the government must collaborate with the stakeholders in the media industry to censor the content without limiting the freedom of information. Read More