Your
Annotated Bibliography and Project Overview is due next week.
Ray and Myra's classes, please submit your assignments in hard copy.
Christine and Colin's classes, please submit online via the Assignment link in vUWS.
Remember that you can use the 'Successful Searching' tutorial prepared by the Library to help you find online references. There is also a quiz on our vUWS homepage to help you revise the tutorial. If you still need help, ask at the Information Desk in your campus library.
NOTE: All written assignments must have a signed cover sheet. You can download one from the 'Useful docs' tab at the top of this page.
We have created a Principles of Professional Communication at UWS Facebook page to keep in touch. So 'like' us and post your comments but make sure they are appropriate.
Quick Links:
Portfolio Exercise 1: 'Political correctness' vs 'freedom of expression'
Portfolio Exercise 2:
Censorship of language
Portfolio Exercise 3: Internet regulation and censorship
Portfolio Exercise 4: 'Porn Wars' – X-rated films and violence
Portfolio Exercise 5: Censorship of video games
Q: Is censorship is an effective weapon in maintaining appropriate ‘social and moral standards’ or do we merely censor what we are most afraid of? What arguments do the various readings make for and against different forms of censorship?
Week
5 – Censorship: not just dirty pictures
The arguments over the pros and cons of censorship have been with us forever. Since the time of the Ancient Greeks and Romans, societies have wrestled over what level of information should be available for general consumption, and what should be restricted. While we tend to think of censorship in terms of the classification of films, it is a much more complex (and controversial) issue. Today, much of the debate around censorship relates to the internet. However, as the lecture outlined, what different societies have felt the need to censor and restrict has moved through many phases and has varied from religious and political ideas, to representations of sex and language and images.
There have been, and continue to be many ways of enforcing censorship. These range from direct government intervention (such as a film classification system) to the non reporting of sensitive issues such as the current political and humanitarian crisis between the Chinese and Tibet or perhaps the non publication in Australia of a controversial unauthorised biography of American actor Tom Cruise.
The readings as well as the following links attempt to give an overview of some of the issues, make arguments for and against, as well as highlight problems raised by the concept of censorship. Read through these make up your own mind. As a starting point you might read this link which outlines a brief history of film censorship.
A good place to start (and I don't usually say this), is the Wikipedia page on Censorship in Australia. It provides a comprehensive, and mostly up-to-date overview of the current state of affairs.
Does censorship work?
Let's start with a quote from the abstract of a 2005 conference paper by Dr Keith Allan of Monash University. He defines censorship as:
'the suppression or prohibition of speech, writing and other behaviour condemned as subversive of the common good.'
The main idea in this quote relates to the notion of the 'common good'. Allan argues (read the full abstract here) that there is no evidence that reading or seeing leads to 'doing' and also that by censoring, we are producing a 'nanny state' – that is, a society whose morals and behaviours are dictated to by the government and other powerful interest groups. The resulting impact, anti-censorship advocates argue, is that censorship produces a society whose members are not allowed to think for themselves but who are dictated to by the personal and political moral codes of either powerful interest groups or noisy minorities who may have the ear of politicians.
Another interesting quote is cited on the homepage of the anti-censorship lobby group libertus.net. They quote A. Whitney Griswold, former President-Yale University, 1952 as saying:
'Books won't stay banned. They won't burn. Ideas won't go to jail. In the long run of history, the censor and inquisitor have always lost. The only sure weapon against bad ideas is better ideas. The source of better ideas is wisdom. The surest path to wisdom is a liberal education.'
Check out their website, but in particular the page on facts, fallacies and urban myths. The other links on the right hand side are also worth browsing.
 |
Perhaps surprisingly, the United States has much more rigorous debate over the issues of censorship and freedom of speech than Australia. The US First Amendment defends the right of individuals to free speech and it is this instrument which has often overturned seemingly strident demands by religious bodies to ban different forms of media. An example of a group who monitor what is going on in the US is National Coalition Against Censorship. There are lots of links to browse there. Another interesting site is that of American Civil Liberties Union which gives a good general overview of the issues from the US perspective.
Finally, some recent work on this general area has been done by Dr Kath Gelber of UNSW. Here's a paper from a forum called Civil Disobedience Today.
 |
As a starting point, check out the current state of play in Australia. The new government body in charge of broadcasting regulations is called the Australian Communication and Media Authority (used to be called the Australian Broadcasting Authority or ABA). Check out their website. Here's what Senator Stephen Conroy, the current Minister for Communications is planning.
Of course you would know that different countries have different regulations and there has been widespread recent discussion about the current state of regulation in China. Google last year pulled out of China and is redirecting Chinese users to their Hong Kong server. Check out this news article on what's happening there.
Another Australian anti-censorship body is Electronic Frontiers Australia so check out their web site for critiques of the past and current state of regulation in Australia. They have a useful link comparing internet regulations around the world.
Other useful articles and links on this topic include:
Censorship of film, literature, television & art
 |
The Australian government body responsible for classifying film, literature, music and video games is the Classification Review Board (formerly the Office of Film and Literature Classification or OFLC). On their website you can read the codes which are used to make decisions about the ratings of films etc before they are released for exhibition. Other sites such as The Chopping List give an overview of some of the recently censored films.
Books of course have historically always been the source of a censor's wrath. Here is an historical overview of some of the more famous victims of the censors. More recently even Harry Potter hasn't escaped controversy for different reasons. School and community libraries are often required to make decisions about the removal of books from their shelves. Here's an article from an educational website dealing with that issue.
Well known Australian film reviewer and host of the ABC show "At the Movies", Margaret Pomeranz, chaired a 2001 forum on film censorship attended by the then Attorney General Daryl Williams. Here's a transcript of that debate which gives both the government and anti-censorship perspectives.
Advocates of film censorship, such as the late Dr Marlene Goldsmith, a former Greiner government minister and member of the NSW upper house, argue that there is an established link between pornography and the prevalence of sexual violence. Read her submission to the NSW Legislative Assemby here. Others such as Robert Jensen from the US organisation National Electronic Network on Violence Against Women argue in this paper that there is little real conclusive proof that a definite link exists and the issues are much more complicated than merely blaming use of pornography. Compare the two arguments. You might also want to browse some of these links which also make different arguments about the relationship between pornography and sexual violence against women.
Even advertising has a mechanism for monitoring tastefulness and public reactions to their craft. Here's a link about the most complained about ads in 2009 titled No beavers, boobs or bonking: What we hate in ads. What are the issues in question here?
Finally, what
about art or photography? Remember the 2008 issue with Australian
photographer Bill Henson whose photographs of a nude 14 year
old were removed from a gallery in Paddington in 2009, even though they passed classification
by the
OFLC? Here's a different take on that issue which was published in Crikey.com. Are we applying double standards here?
For an historical perspective, check out the recent Australian documentary on the so-called Oz-ploitation films of the 70s and 80s titled Not Quite Hollywood. Here's a link to the trailer. Ask yourself the question, are we really get worse over time, or should the context be taken into account?
 |
Censorship of music
Popular music of course has always been controversial. From Elvis Presley's hip swivelling back in the '50s to current debates over language and misogyny in hip hop music, the influence of music has always had the ability to push the buttons of the establishment. For a good overview of the history of music censorship check out this link.
Several years ago, heavy metal band Judas Priest was accused of inciting a young man's suicide by the use of subliminal messages in their music. Lead singer of British heavy metal band Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, was accused of inciting self destructive behaviour among adolescents who listened to his music. Read about this plus other examples here.
More recently there have been various studies about the relationship between heavy metal and rap on adolescent behaviours. Other studies have looked at the relationship between country music and suicide. This study won an Ignoble award in 2004. Others such as the Centre for Suicide Prevention argue that the issue is more complex than that and often the offending lyrics or themes have been taken out of context or misinterpreted.
Hip hop artists
have also been the subject of complaints about misogyny (hatred
of women) in their music. Other more formal studies have examined whether
exposure to rap music results in increased
latent sexism among its listeners, especially young men and whether it leads to delinquency.
Check out this extract from Michael Moore's 'Bowling for Columbine' where he interviews Marilyn Manson about the relationship between his music and the Columbine High School shootings. You can also read an interview with Marilyn Manson in Rolling Stone magazine on the subject.
Censorship of language
“According to Freud, the basis of a taboo is a forbidden action for which there exists a strong inclination in the subconscious” Geoffrey Hughes (1991) Swearing: a Social History of Foul Language, Oaths and Profanity in English
“ [bleeps], like astericks, are always an admission of censor’s failings. Are we less offended because we don’t know what is being said, or so we in fact have a pretty good idea?" Suzanne Moore (1999) Why do newspapers use astericks? …
The concern about the 'proliferation' of so-called swear words on TV and in films, music and books has been an ongoing concern for censors and concerned citizens for many years. Recently, Minister for the Environment Greg Combet, was criticised for his use of the word 'bullshit' in an interview about Tony Abbott's comments on climate change and the carbon tax. Further to the previous section on the censorship of music are concerns about language in hip hop especially words which are sexist or racist.
There are a number of excellent books about why certain words and their subject matter have become taboo. Check out an extract from this online version of a book titled "Forbidden Words: Taboo and the Censoring of Language" by Keith Allan and Kate Burridge. Other interesting books on the subject include that of Geoffrey Hughes (1991) listed above which explores the long history of swearing in the English language. Hughes' book traces the long history from its Anglo-Saxon traditions and those of the Middle Ages, through Shakespeare, the Enlightenment, and the Victorian Era to the Lady Chatterley's Lover trial and various current trends.
Another useful book "Language most Foul" (2004) is by Australian linguist and former SMH columist Ruth Wajnryb. The book looks at the origins of some of our more colourful words and phrases and explores whether 'bad' words are mirrored in other languages, and the cultural differences that exist when it comes to giving offence. You might also check out this regular newspaper column by American National Post columnist Robert Fulford on language censorship.
For those who are REALLY interested in how what is considered the most offensive word in the English language has evolved and is used, here's a link to a site by Mathew Hunt where he has published a fascinating essay on the C-Word (warning: not for those who are offended by language. This is an academic treatise on the evolution and use of the word). Hunt also has another essay on his site on Taboo: Visual Art Censorship.
One of
the main arguments for censoring language as well as the internet, is the
impact on youth. Have a look at this interesting powerpoint slideshow from The Free
Expression Policy Project 
on Minors,
Censorship and Sex (this is a large file be aware if you want to download
it as it may use up all of your download limit). There are other interesting
links on this site too.
Finally, swearing does feel good sometimes doesn't it? Check out this humorous video by Stephen Fry on the joys of swearing.
Censorship vs freedom of expression
Whatever its starting point and expressed intention, the end of the censor’s road is repression of dangerous’ ideas - not only about sex but about morals, politics, art and life. Opposition to censorship must inevitably involve us in defending things and people whom we may dislike and disapprove of (sometimes passionately). Voltaire’s well known saying that ‘I detest what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it’ may seem trite to us but is as apposite as it ever was.“ Antony Grey, 1995
The underlying argument about all forms of censorship is the extent to which it is a denial of the right of freedom of expression.
In a similar way, the relationship between journalists and the goverment is also examined
in the
other reading
which looks at how government's might manipulate what journalists see and
report when covering wars. 
There is also an increasing concern that the
increasing concentration of media in the hands of a few large multinational
organisations will/has resulted in a narrowing of expressed views. Here's
a list of the largest
media outlets in the world and their related companies.
There
is ongoing debate about Australian Freedom of Information laws. Here's the Australian
Federal Govt website. Journalists across the world feel threatened by
laws which require that they disclose their sources of information. Check out this
website which has some good links about many aspects of free
speech.
But where is the line to be drawn between free speech and discrimination? This fine distinction was the subject of a controversial 2011 High Court ruling against controversial News Ltd columnist Andrew Bolt. The decision stoked widespread debate about the extent of the limits of freedom of speech, especially as it impacted on discussing issues of race and culture. For more information on this, just do a Google search using the terms 'Andrew Bolt' and 'racial discrimination'. Here's the view of one journalist writing for the ABC's The Drum website.
Finally, how does the ongoing arguments around the whistleblower website WikiLeaks fit into this argument? Check out the website. Is WikiLeaks a threat to democracy or will it strengthen it? See a piece by media scholar Brian McNair here. You should also check out the issue on WikiLeaks in a recent edition of Global Media Journal Australia, a peer-reviewed journal which is published by the UWS School of Humanities and Communication Arts.
Because this topic is so wide, there are a larger range of exercises than usual to choose from this week. Best marks will be given to students whose answers show that they are familiar with the various writings on the topic, and who are not just expressing unsubstantiated personal opinion. Your points should be referenced and cited using APA citation style. Don't forget to include a brief reference list at the end of your response. All responses should be about 300 words.
Exercise 1: Censorship, political correctness vs freedom of speech
There is an ongoing debate in the Australian media about what constitutes freedom of speech. Read Case Study 2.5 (p. 49) of your textbook about a recent controversy involving News Ltd columnist Andrew Bolt over the issue of racial discrimination. After you read the article, do a Google search for 'Bolt' and 'racial discrimination' and find two articles which express differing views on this case. Summarise these in 300 words and include a reference list.
Exercise 2: Censorship of Language
Read Stephen Pinker's journal article from this week's reading list. Also check out Suzanne Moore’s (1999) piece “Why do newspapers use astericks?” plus Jacqueline Maley's (2012) "The incredible explosive word". All of these raise a variety of issues about the usefulness of the censorship of swear words in the media. Then do either exercise A. or B. below.
A. Do some background reading on the evolution of swear words (eg Hughes, 1991 & Wajnryb, 2004.) Why do they go in and out of fashion? Are many of those considered the most offensive becoming less shocking?
B. From the perspective of the various arguments over the effectiveness of censorship, does the “bleeping” or the use of astericks to censor four-letter words in newspapers, on television (eg in Jerry Springer), in music or in films merely is a useful form of censorship? Does it work? Why/why not?
Exercise 3: Internet Regulation and Censorship
What is the current state of debate about internet censorship in Australia? Read this paper by several Australian academics on the impact of the Rudd/Gillard government's policy. Compare the Australian government's approach with that of at least two other countries around the world. Write a summary and don't forget to include your references.
Exercise 4: 'Porn Wars': X-Rated Films and Sexual Violence
Is there a link between the availability of x-rated films and the prevalence of sexual violence? Check out this link by feminist anti-porn campaigner Professor Gail Dines. Summarise the arguments made in the web link about how different feminist groups disagree about the impact of pornography on women.
Exercise 5: Censorship of Video Games
The level of violence in video games has become a concern recently and has emerged in the debate over classification. Read these two newspaper articles on the topic by Eammon Duff in March 2010 and by Miranda Devine in August 2009. What arguments are they making? In addition, do your own search for a couple of references which take an alternate view, say from gamers themselves. Compare the arguments for and against.
Finally, here are some additional useful references …
Australian Communications and Media Authority
Classification Review Board (formerly Office of Film and Literature Classification)
Electronic Frontiers Australia
Caslon analytics guide: Censorship and free speech
Our textbook has been newly revised especially for this unit. Most lectures and many class activities will be based on the book, so we recommend that all students have access to a copy and bring it to class every week. Copies will be made available in the Library Closed Reserve.
In addition, class discussions and presentations will be based on more specific readings on the weekly topic. These can be found under the 'Tutorial Readings' tab at the top of this page.
Professional communication in the news |
