Media Censor Freedom Versus Responsibility -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Media Censor Freedom Versus Responsibility? Answer: Introduction Censorship of the media is nothing new in the modern world. Abbasi and Al-Sharqi (2015) argue that contemporary governments apply the technique to censorship with a view to hide certain information from the public eye that could risk their authority. The authors further point out that the restriction imposed by governments on the use of internet in the name of useful censorship is nothing but a tactic to shut their opposition. The given essay provides a comparative analysis of media censorship in the UK and UAE. The essay begins with an attempt to analyze the similarities and differences of internet censorship in the two countries. The United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates both are liberal monarchial confederations. While the UK is a developed nation, UAE is a rapidly developing state with immense opportunities. The new media, which is the internet in both countries, is accessed by almost entire population. However, both countries have witnessed a decline in the freedom on the net as per the reports published in Freedom House. According to the report, UAE scored 69 whereas UK scored 24, in a scale of zero to hundred. These statistics also indicate a contrast between internet censorship in the UAE and the UK (Freedomhouse.org 2018). It shows that UK has a better status when it comes to freedom of the net than UAE. Another report published by Freedom House revealed that in 2017, the UAE government blocked contents on the web that had issues related to the crisis between Qatar and other count ries in the Middle East. In contrast to it, no reports of blocking sites were registered in the UK (Freedomhouse.org 2018). This establishes the fact that internet censorship is stricter in UAE than in UK. This segment explores news censorship in both countries. In this regard, the differences are more glaring between the two countries than the similarities. Most of the news agencies are controlled by the government in UAE. In addition, the government funds several media houses. Reporters Without Borders has placed the UAE at 118 out of 180 countries in the world with least freedom of the press and UK being placed at 40 (RSF.org 2018). This shows that the press in UK enjoys more freedom than it does in the UAE. Furthermore, International Campaign for Freedom in UAE (ICFUAE) states that despite being designated as an international media hub, the media suffers from highly repressive rules and regulations. Further, it states that television broadcasting in the country also has strict restrictions as most of the channels are regulated directly or indirectly by the government (Icfuae.org.uk 2018). The case is different in the UK. Although certain laws have been passed by the government in r ecent years to curb press freedom, the press there enjoys relatively better environment than UAE. However, as per the views of the Committee to Protect Journalists, Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013 passed by the UK government might curb press freedom. The press community in the country is staging numerous protests against the law (CPJ.org 2018). These facts reveal that press freedom is not completely enjoyed either by UK or by UAE. It is but imperative to mention that UAE lags far behind when it comes to electronic and print media regulations than UK. In the final segment, the arts and entertainment media censorship in the two countries shall be examined. In this section too, UAE and UK have more differences than similarities. One of the most visible differences is the restrictions imposed upon the distributors regarding the content of any movie. In an article published in Thegazelle.org (2018), it was found that the art and media industry had to follow rigorous regulations from the government. In addition, the article also stated that censorship was so severe in the country that even students pursuing media as a major subject were not allowed to show their creations in public without government permission. As per the reports of Freemuse.org (2018), the authorities in UAE banned numerous arts pieces, short films and feature films because they felt that it was against a particular sect or the royal family. In contrast to this, arts and media industry in UK enjoys a great freedom. Overall, it can be observed that both countries have certain regulations when it comes to letting any work of art being displayed in public. However, certain instances show that UAE exerts more censorship of the media than does UK. To conclude, it can be stated that although UAE lags behind UK in media censorship, it is showing improvement. As the essay portrayed, media censorship is a tactic employed by respective governments to possess control over their subjects. By doing, the comparative analysis between UAE and UK provided a greater insight into the issue of media censorship. The analysis found that UK is more flexible when it comes to regulating the media than UAE. It has been learnt that the internet is the most influential media in todays world and it has helped people get access to news easily with limited government interference. References: Abbasi, I.S. and Al-Sharqi, L., 2015. Media censorship: Freedom versus responsibility.Journal of Law and Conflict Resolution,7(4), pp.21-24. CPJ.org (2018).UK's Section 40 press law would curb independent, investigative journalism. [online] Cpj.org. Available at: https://cpj.org/blog/2017/01/uks-section-40-press-law-would-curb-independent-in.php [Accessed 7 Mar. 2018]. Freedomhouse.org (2018).United Arab Emirates. [online] Freedomhouse.org. Available at: https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/2016/united-arab-emirates [Accessed 7 Mar. 2018]. Freedomhouse.org/ (2018).United Arab Emirates. [online] Freedomhouse.org. Available at: https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2017/united-arab-emirates [Accessed 7 Mar. 2018]. Freemuse.org (2018).UAE Archives - Freemuse. [online] Freemuse. Available at: https://freemuse.org/regions/middle-east-north-africa/uae/ [Accessed 7 Mar. 2018]. Icfuae.org.uk (2018).UAEs Media Landscape: An Overview. [online] ICFUAE | International Campaign For Freedom in the UAE. Available at: https://icfuae.org.uk/research-and-publications/uae%E2%80%99s-media-landscape-overview [Accessed 7 Mar. 2018]. RSF.org (2018).United Arab Emirates : Sophisticated online surveillance | Reporters without borders. [online] RSF. Available at: https://rsf.org/en/united-arab-emirates [Accessed 7 Mar. 2018]. Thegazelle.org (2018).The Creatively Subversive: Art and Censorship in the UAE | The Gazelle. [online] The Gazelle. Available at: https://www.thegazelle.org/issue/43/opinion/reyes [Accessed 7 Mar. 2018].