The State of Media Censorship

The Current state of Media Censorship

There is absolute chaos when a big technological company takes on the task of censorship and de-platforming, a utopia of false civility. And in modern terms I would consider the act of de-platforming individuals of whom share different opinions under the guise of ‘protecting society’ prompts me to ask the question: of what are you protecting the individual person from?

Never let an institution think for you, that is how I was raised as a kid, and that is how I will have raised you.

The ability of critical thinking has often been a staple for Western Civilization. And growing up as a child, I was taught to question everything. And this idea of questioning authority in all forms has in my opinion, been engrained into my image of what I view myself as—a sucker for punishment.

And yet, with the emergence of immediate fact checking, or as I call it—ask no questions, everything’s okay button—one must be self-aware enough to ask: In what world may a journalist silence a doctor, lawyer, or politician under the guise of misinformation?

Is it not impossible for us to be expert in all things? How do we trust a group of journalists and no named experts to label something as false or untrue?

And it’s even more alarming, when Media giants such as Facebook and Twitter are caught, red-handed, sharing information with one another to maintain ‘election integrity’ and giving suggestions of what to moderate on eithers platform.

I knew there was an Uncle Sam in big government, but I did not know there was an Aunt Tina in big tech as well.

For a very long time the checks and balances of Journalistic integrity has been lost, as ‘unnamed sources’ dissolve not only the accountability of a media organization, but also enables the media empire to make false claims in the name of fighting the war against fake news.

But there is one question that sits on my tongue, whenever I speak of censorship.

And that is—if you feel fear to speak your mind, does your opinion change?

The answer is obviously no, and yet our societal actions of censorship in the name of the greater good of society—is not about benefitting society at all.

It is an attempt at deconstructing the inherent values of Western civilization; and instead, creating a right or wrong way of thinking; instead of a popular and unpopular belief system.

If we truly believe in the establishment of western civilization: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Then we must adhere to the fundamental reality: censoring opinions you disagree with; only emboldens the opinion. And, as concerned citizens, we must question the actions of our leaders, whom, have taken it upon themselves to conduct our critical thinking. Authoritarians silence opposition. Leaders, in good faith, invite the opposition to a stage, and discuss their ideas openly with civility; allowing the audience—the populace—to come to their own conclusions.

And lastly, I leave my fellow Canadian citizens with this.

“The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses. The press is so powerful in its image-making role, it can make the criminal look like he’s the victim and make the victim look like he’s the criminal. This is the press, an irresponsible press. It will make the criminal look like he’s the victim and make the victim look like he’s the criminal. If you aren’t careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.”

-Malcom X