1 Theme 1- Media Censorship and Free Speech - Part 1 Sammy I. Medawar Department of Computer and Information Systems, Rafik Hariri University ENGL 210: English Composition and Rhetoric Doctor Maysaa Banat September 28, 2021 2 Theme 1- Media Censorship and Free Speech - Part 1 1. What is Freedom of Expression? a. Freedom of speech is the right of a person to hold personal beliefs and to convey them or seek them through a variety of different platforms without government censorship. It plays a large role in modern democratic societies by promoting healthy debates since different opinions can dispel unfair assertions. Additionally, it is fundamental for democracies since it allows citizens to criticize governments or hold them accountable, it encourages open communication without any restraint, and it weakens corruption by ensuring transparency and ease of access of information. b. The other human rights related to freedom of speech are freedom of association, peaceful assembly, and freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. c. Governments must have a legitimate reason with proper evidence to perform censorship on expressions deemed as harmful or hateful. Additionally, the censorship must be within the bounds of laws which are easy for people to understand, it must be specific and absolutely necessary, and it must be reasonable where it is proportionate with the action taken. 2. Freedom of expression in Lebanon a. The Lebanese constitution ensures the freedom of speech and is supposed to protect it; however, criticizing authorities, religion, or people in power is still a punishable offence according to the penal code. 3 b. The government is trying to oppress freedom of expression by cracking down on any criticism aimed towards it, avoiding accountability, and by stopping any truths or leaks on social media to brainwash people into a sense of security. These summons go against the constitution since it inhibits the people's freedom of speech. 3. Biggest Pros and Cons of Censorship a. Governments are not the only ones that can practice censorship, as religious organizations, private groups, schools, and just about anyone can too. Personal, moral, or political beliefs which are offensive to a specific group are prone to censorship by said group. Additionally, beliefs that can incite hate and violence are also usually censored by the government. b. When used reasonably and fairly, censorship can be a proper tool to protect society and even individuals since some ways of expression can be deemed illegal or unfair such as stealing art, exposing crude content to children, or threatening civil peace. However, others believe that censorship be done on an individual or household level only since greedy opportunists may use censorship for their own benefits. As such, maintaining a balance is the key to maximizing censorship's advantages and minimizing its disadvantages.
