The United States Constitution protects the freedom of the press and speech. Media organizations are therefore free to report on any issue they deem newsworthy, without government interference.
However, there are limits to this freedom. Media organizations can be censored if their reporting is deemed to be harmful to national security, incites violence, or contains pornography.
Censorship of the media is a controversial issue. Some people argue that it is necessary to protect the public from harmful content. Others argue that censorship violates the First Amendment and stifles free speech.
In this project, I’ll examine whether or not the state and/or federal government have the authority to restrict what we watch, listen to, or come in touch with, particularly video games and if they have the power to regulate them as per the articles of confederation.
The Media has been a big part of our lives for many years. It helps shape our opinions and beliefs. It can also be used to control what we see and hear. Censorship is the suppression of information that may be considered harmful, sensitive or inconvenient as determined by governments, media outlets or other groups. In the United States, censorship occurs at the local, state and federal level.
The First Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of the press. This amendment has been interpreted to allow some forms of censorship, such as obscenity laws and libel laws. However, it is not absolute. In some cases, the government can censor speech if it can prove that it is necessary to do so in order to protect national security or to prevent a clear and present danger.
I believe that it should be returned to the people’s right and the government agency’s right as set forth in the constitution. Let’s get down to business by breaking down the document into its most basic components, which will reveal the purpose of the government and their duties. The constitution contains a lot of provisions, but you may reduce it to six fundamental parts.
1. Preamble- We the people of the United States, in order to form a
2. Article 1- Establishes the Legislative Branch (Congress)
3. Article 2- Establishes the Executive Branch (President and Vice President)
4. Article 3- Establishes the Judicial Branch (Supreme Court and lower courts)
5. Article 4- Defines the Relationship between the States and the Federal Government
6. Article 5- Details the Amendment Process (27 Amendments have been ratified)
7. Article 6- Declares the Constitution to be the supreme law of the land
8.Article 7- Ratification
The first amendment states “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; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
The question is does censorship fall under any of these categories? Censorship can be defined as “the suppression of free speech, public communication, or other information, on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, politically incorrect or inconvenient as determined by government authorities.”
So with that being said it is safe to say that censorship does in fact try to stifle free speech. It could be argued that it falls under Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech but I believe it goes a step further. Censorship is not just the government trying to control what we say but also what we see and hear. It is the government telling us what they believe we should or should not be able to see. It is a form of oppression that needs to be stopped.
Insure domestic tranquility: In order to have and maintain domestic peace, the government must provide order among the people. It must also prevent these individuals, who are unfamiliar with living or being democratic, from descending into pandemonium. This says it all; I believe it can play a significant role in our censorship problems. The Supreme Court rejected California’s request to prohibit all sales of violent games to minors in June 2011 by voting 7-2 against it. They said that because
The 14th amendment says that no state can deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law. In this case the Supreme Court is saying that minors have a right to purchase violent video games if they so choose. Media is a broad topic and can be anything from books and magazines to movies and music. It’s hard to argue that media doesn’t effect people, especially children, in some way. Censoring what they are exposed to could potentially have a positive effect on their behavior but taking away their right to choose what they consume is a slippery slope.
The First Amendment of the United States Constitution protects the right to freedom of speech and freedom of the press. It was put into place so that the government could not censor what the people say or write. This amendment is important because it allows for open dialogue and debate which is necessary for a functioning democracy. The problem with censorship is that it can be used to silence dissenting voices and stifle the flow of information. It can also be used to protect the powerful and keep the masses in the dark.
There are many arguments for and against censorship. Proponents of censorship argue that it is necessary to protect children from harmful or offensive material. They also argue that it is necessary to prevent people from spreading false information or engaging in hate speech. Opponents of censorship argue that it violates the First Amendment and stifles free speech. They also argue that it is often used to protect the powerful and silence dissent.
At the end of the day, it is up to each individual to decide whether or not they support censorship. There are valid arguments on both sides of the issue. Ultimately, it is up to each person to decide what they believe is best for themselves and for society as a whole.