January 28, 2002

6:29 PM

Privatizing Censorship"The Official Secrets Act (in the UK) will soon be unenforceable, and the internet already makes absolute control of information impossible, says Northern Irish web journalist Newton Emerson. What worries him is the changing nature of censorship. Over the past 20 years, mostly by accident, he argues, censorship has been privatised." And Emerson should know: his satires have caused an uproar in Northern Ireland.
posted by brookish (4 comments total)

Excellent article, and the Portadown News site of Newton Emerson is interesting reading. For some reason, I was reminded of the Orson Scott Card short story Prior Restraint when reading it.
posted by bragadocchio at 8:28 PM on January 28, 2002

"Worst of all, some people even assume that they have A Right Not To Be Offended."

Welcome to America, Newton. Bet you didn't even realize you'd emigrated, did you?
posted by mr_crash_davis at 8:43 PM on January 28, 2002

Wonderful stuff, full of quoteworthy gems. Thanks, brookish.
posted by rory at 2:35 AM on January 29, 2002

Broadcast material is also, it seems, potentially much more 'offensive' than newsprint, and the BSC Code of Practice goes on at some length about the importance of "taste and decency". This is why the BBC can show footage of a woman being shot in the head in a Kabul football stadium, but can never, ever, show somebody kicking a dog.

Sadly, depicting violence against women is fine in American media, too.
posted by Carol Anne at 5:32 AM on January 29, 2002