Laila Alkhalifa, Joulia Al Kaoury, Nawaf Al Mweel, Marah Alnaeb, Hussam Rajeh
1. Identify the issue and the content Chief Censor, David Shanks is discussing and
the reasons why it led to his decision to censor the content and the documents
on the internet.
David Shanks has a very stressing job where he sometimes receives disturbing videos. He
describes this particular scene where a man attached a camera to his helmet and started
killing every human in his way whether it was a man, woman, or child. This particular
video is known to be one of the worst acts of terrorism that the country has seen. Shanks
mentions that it is very difficult when coming to a decision on whether they should
censor a unsettling content however they have to be able to put their emotions to the
side. There are three rules that he sticks by to make his job easier, rule one is that the
state doesn’t get to make the calls, you have to be raw and honest with what is going on
and they can’t just censor what suits them. Rule two is to put freedom first and allow
people for the freedom of speech and ideas. The final rule is only censor to prevent or
limit harm.
2. Do you agree with his decision that it is necessary to censor such content? If yes
or no, explain your reasons why.
Yes, as he mentioned this type of content is a product designed to attract
followers which would increase the crime rate therefore by censoring, they can
reduce the influence such a horrific video can have on people. This is related to
his third rule that refers to the fact that you should only censor something when it
prevents or limits harm. The media has a chokehold on people’s thoughts and
Laila Alkhalifa, Joulia Al Kaoury, Nawaf Al Mweel, Marah Alnaeb, Hussam Rajeh
opinions. Ethnic cleansing was used to give this killing an excuse, so if they chose
not to censor this, the video could potentially have the power to influence
people’s way of thinking in that ethnic cleansing is something that is normal or
okay, which is absolutely not case.
3. The decision made by David's team was made free of any government official's
interference. Consider the forms of censorship -political, sexual, hate speech, etc.
- found in mass communication platforms such as, books, newspapers, magazines,
film, social media and the internet, are these also necessary as David explained in the
video or should it be specific to acts that might cause harm to others like the case of
terrorism he is discussing?
Censorship should be specific to what the content is, there is no need to censor
everything bad going on in the country as that will only arise suspicion worldwide. For
example, China is a country that has a government which heavily censors many platforms
and online content that goes against the social norms and morals within their culture,
preventing many Chinese citizens from knowing the truth about what is going on. By
doing this, they are restricting the freedom of Chinese citizens which is right they should
have. The government could be doing this because they are aware of the influence the
media can have on people’s thoughts and they are trying to create a nation where
freedom of thought and speech is limited.
Laila Alkhalifa, Joulia Al Kaoury, Nawaf Al Mweel, Marah Alnaeb, Hussam Rajeh
4. Is there a similar case that you can identify in regional media that resembles this
issue? Give your thoughts on how it was handled or should have been handled.
Yes, the current genocide in Palestine is being extremely censored by social media
platforms. This is due to the fact that they are all backed up by American companies.
Although America preaches that they are “the land of the free”, they are doing
everything they possibly can to reduce the amount of content that shows how innocent
Palestinians are being brutally murdered by the Israeli military which is entirely funded
by the American government. Therefore, it is in their interest to censor the massacre and
hide their damage as they know that they are in the wrong and that what is going on is
inhumane.