Yeung Tsz Hing Richelia 14221292
JOUR3136 International News In A Globalized World Term Paper
Topic: Press freedom in the United States and China
The United States and China are two distinctly different examples in terms of press freedom. People generally consider China as one of the most media-censored countries in the world. The Chinese government and their many ways of censorship in the country has become a bigger problem in the eyes of the those in rest of the world since President Xi Jinping came into office. And even when the United States still remains as a press-friendly country over the years, a report says that its press freedom is declining with the rest of the world in recent years.
Freedom House, an organization which conduct
…show more content…
There are currently only 9 media conglomerates, the largest one being The Walt Disney Company, dominating the industry, causing the lack of viewpoints from different perspectives, silencing those of a different opinion than the mainstream ones. Not only that, as the media is becoming so money-driven, it tends to produce contents of what people want to know instead of what people should know in order to attract more viewers. Media should be serving public interest instead of becoming just another kind of business that only focuses on generating more …show more content…
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls China the ‘world’s leading prison for citizen journalists’, as over a hundred Chinese citizens were imprisoned in 2016 for information sharing. Committee to Protect Journalists also shows that 38 journalists were arrested last year. With the absence of a law that protects the safety of journalists, self-censorship is common among journalists in China in order to protect themselves, and that is including foreign journalists working in China. Foreign correspondents face challenging working conditions when they are often interfered by authorities to discourage the coverage on certain topics through surveillance, harassment and even violence. In 2013, the Chinese government had been withholding the visas of correspondents of the New York Times and Bloomberg in China for investigating into Chinese leaders’
Malcolm X famously said, “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”. Although the modern media is powerful, it is always changing not only technologically, but in the way journalists report and act. Commentary over the last several years has centered on the negative changes of the media that journalists are unethical, stories are approval driven, and opinion is included in the news. Many Americans as well as journalists are concerned in the apparent decline in moral of the media.
Censorship is detrimental to most people around the world’s well-being because it limits the free flow of information and can inhibit mental maturity. In a 2012 New York Times article, journalist
In a culture that increased in greed and a world of instant gratification media has and will continue to become skewed and not beneficial for the whole of
My opinion on this situation is that media is overpowered and if it was an official branch congress would have to even out the powers in order for it to work in a reasonable and controlled way. However it becoming an official branch is highly unlikely and will most likely never occur. I do feel that propaganda is taking over the aspect of being free and interrupting your political mindset on issues. Overall I think the media’s powers should be evened out and intertwine other positive aspects into their work rather than
Humanity needs to change before all information is censored. In “College at Risk,” Andrew Delbanco discusses liberal learning and the “whole person” that may not be developed in college due to a lack of income. Liberal learning develops the “whole person” by teaching the basic ethics and morals a person should have. Anne Applebaum presents examples of censorship in her essay, “The Decline of American Press Freedom.” She uses China and Yale to make the point that differing forms of censorship are doing more harm than good.
Censorship in America can vary between the silencing of young voices and the prevention of exposing others of inappropriate material. Many people are afraid of losing their freedom of speech, as first amendment rights should be mandatory for American citizens. Polar to this argument insists the importance of censorship, as it can shield the public from information that can lead to fear or chaos. Leaving students ignorant to world problems, however, is argued by Sonja West that it removes their first amendment rights and creates a future working-class of Americans who are clouded from the truth. West is a law professor at the University of Georgia who is distinguished for her expertise in the first amendment law and minor in journalism.
By censoring critical literature via the very governmental organizations created to do such things, the government deprives its citizens of intellectual freedom, development, and speech leading to a dysfunctional educational system that fosters a biased and discriminatory society. The concept of censorship has a long history which commenced in Rome, Greece, and China during pre-modern times before its inheritance by the United States during the 19th
It can be seen from different angles since many countries are determined to live in a free expression society but others want to enforce censorship in many situations. Countries that are against censorship is mainly because it can be very powerful in the sense that it can control what is shown on the news. It may present false statements and mislead the people in to believing things that are not true. If censored, everything would have to pass first through the government, and they may change some stories to please them. This can lead to only showing favoritism for certain brands or groups; companies may get to control the information that gets to the country.
When thinking of the media you think they are reporting the appropriate and accurate information not based on any personal opinions and feelings. Also one would not think the media would be reporting based on one side of politics or the other. The media is extremely biased when it comes to politics and news. While some of the media is conservative-biased I believe the mass media is liberal-biased. Majority of media outlets are liberal companies, media personnel and journalists will identify themselves as democrats and liberals more so than republicans or conservatives and lastly the left side (liberals) of the mass media is persuasive on what information to report.
Before media, politicians and other newsmakers had to rely on word of mouth to communicate the various messages they were espousing. However, they found this was an unreliable method of communication and the first newspapers and other media mediums were created. This comes at a drawback. As media companies grow larger and larger, they become more susceptible to bias. This has lead to a proliferation of bias across the many media companies in existence today.
Introduction In our current society, the media is a very powerful medium which cultivates the way the society thinks and behaves. At this stage of the political economy, the intellectual mode of production is largely made through the media industry. Aspects such as Hollywood, television and movies, they frame and direct our thinkings and values towards the direction as they desire.
Bias is defined as being prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair. Americans experience some sort of bias every day, however, media bias is likely the most prevalent. Media can be biased towards liberals, conservatives, or any other political leaning. According to University of Oklahoma Professor, Keith Gaddie, the mainstream media mostly suffers from liberal bias - which is usually hostile toward conservative candidates and causes. Media bias can misinform, exaggerate truths, and cause confusion during voting season.
These media conglomerates exist in Europe, Asia and Latin America. According to the Fortune 500 list of 2014 The Walt Disney Company is America 's largest media conglomerate in terms of revenue with 21st Century Fox, Time Warner, CBS Corporation, and Viacom are amongst the top five. Other major players are Comcast and Sony. Since 1950 media conglomerate has become a regular feature of the global economic system.
I have come to realize that the media has always sided what was popular to the public. Though in some cases I’m sure there have been some influencing through monetary means and under the table deals. Nonetheless the media actually served as a counter argument to my thoughts and actually helped me remembered in why I vote for what I vote for. As you can see from most of the media in the last 6 years it has served towards democrats and more government interference. Now don’t get me wrong things like the patriot act are necessary for the safety of our nations
Furthermore, in many developing countries or in those with oppressive regimes, government actions are more important than the Internet in defining how information is produced and consumed, and by whom. There are so many counties that use strict censorship in their media. “Present-day examples include Russia as a territorially shrunken successor state to the former USSR, China and North Korea” (Höchli, 2010). Censorship in North Korea is known to be the most intense among the world. With a government such as theirs, they are able to take strict control over communications.