CENSORSHIP WITHIN DEMOCRATIC SOCIETIES

By Peter Phillips and Ivan Harslof[32]

Is it possible to understand censorship in a modern society, where the flow of information is rapidly accelerating and communication technology makes it possible to expose almost every corner of political and social life to a wide audience? Is there any value in discussing censorship in democracies, where freedom of expression is ensured in constitutions and amendments?

By reviewing some of the current research within the field of communications, we wish to establish a broad analytical framework for the identification of censorship mechanisms as they may occur in modern democratic societies. Media concentration is rapidly changing the face of censorship and new broader definitions are needed to understand the full dimensions of the issue. We conclude this chapter with a report on our 1996 study of how one of the most informed groups about the media situation-U.S. newspaper editors-perceive media concentration as a threat to First Amendment rights.

Censorship is normally considered a defensive phenomenon, in the sense that censorship is a mechanism that deliberately prevents information from reaching the public. It is regarded as a function exercised by authorities in public as well as private organizations-to control the content of publication. Even in modern democratic societies this overt form of censorship continues to occur, as well as its more subtle variations. In fact, legal regulation of freedom of expression continues to be seen as an important part of almost all democratic constitutions, as well as international conventions.

John Keane, in his book The Media and Democracy (1991), regards state censorship as a phenomenon which continues in modern democracies. He identifies a tendency toward the creation of mutually-protecting undemocratic processes within and between modern capitalistic societies. This is, according to Keane, one of the main threats to the free flow of information about state activities. Governments use a number of mechanisms to regulate and distort the exchange of information and opinions between their citizens. These can include legal tools, such as secret services declaring 'emergency situations' or initiating pre- or post-censorship of publications for state security reasons, or simply lying to the public about governmental actions or positions.

Indeed, the defensive application of censorship as a concept seems the most obvious because of its direct links to the traditional images of the zealous censor cutting, banning, burning, and retouching. However, it might be necessary to take into consideration more offensive traits of censorship if we want to fully understand the existing patterns of repression within modern societies. The expansion of the concept of censorship to include offensive public relations activities by powerful deep-pocketed corporations establishes the promotion of certain versions of reality in the public as an important mode of censorship.