Category Archives: Censorship

Talking Points: The Interview and Movie Censorship
Trying something different here. I sound off on the Interview and censorship for films. How do you guys feel about this? Let me know in the comments below! Also, let me know what you think...

By: Martial Arts Movie Junkie

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Talking Points: The Interview and Movie Censorship - Video

Iran Expands #39;Smart #39; Internet Censorship
Iran is to expand what it calls "smart filtering" of the Internet, a policy of censoring undesirable content on websites without banning them completely, as it used to, the government said...

By: Mindreader

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Iran Expands 'Smart' Internet Censorship - Video

Hard on the heels of North Koreas outraged response to The Interview, authorities in Morocco, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have banned Exodus: Gods and Kings, Ridley Scotts latest biblical epic depicting the life of Moses.

Citing historical inaccuracies, all three countries take exception to the movies contention that the Jews built the pyramids and that an earthquake caused the Red Sea to part, allowing Moses to lead his people to safety.

Trouble is, if countries start blocking movies for getting their facts wrong, and leaders who feel insulted do the same, then theatres around the world will soon be half empty. And we could stand on the verge of a cultural war.

Such aggressive responses to humor and narrative imagination have a long history. For example:

1 Cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad

In late September 2005 the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published 12 cartoons depicting Muhammad, most of them in a benign way, but a couple more mockingly: one showed a man with a bomb in his turban and another showed Muhammad urging Muslims not to martyr themselves, saying Stop, weve run out of virgins (referring to the traditional reward for Islamic martyrdom).

Within months, Danish embassies across the Middle East and elsewhere had been attacked, leading to multiple deaths. Riots in Nigeria led to more than 100 killings and both the editor and the cartoonists received death threats. Some countries imposed boycotts on Danish goods.

There was a more modest reaction to the depiction of Muhammad in a teddy bear outfit in an episode of South Park in 2000, in which he was summoned by celebrities to meet them on the grounds that his goo would make them immune to ridicule. Death threats to the shows creators Matt Stone and Troy Parker convinced the broadcaster Comedy Central to censor parts of the episode dealing with the Prophet.

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Censorship Of 'Exodus' Raises Fears of Proxy Media War

As one does this time of year, we in the arts department of the Charleston City Paper have become somewhat reflective. As the year draws to its inevitable champagne-fueled close, we look back to remember the biggest moments of 2014's arts year and you know what? No offense, Charleston, but most of them were bummers.

Let us hasten to add that this is not to disparage the excellent work our local visual arts galleries, theaters, and other arts groups did this year. To see how busy and impressive they were, all you have to do is flip through the Arts section of any given issue.

That being said, here follows our list of the top developments in 2014 and here's hoping that 2015 turns out to be sunnier.

The Flowertown Players, the College of Charleston, and USC Upstate nearly lose funding due to attempts at censorship

This July, Summerville Town Councilman Terry Jenkins tried to withhold $3,000 of accommodation tax funding from Summerville's Flowertown Players because he thought that RENT was too "raunchy" for a community theater to produce. Although the proposal to remove the funding ultimately failed, Flowertown's artistic director JC Conway was asked to attend a council finance meeting to explain his choice of production.

It was the third attempt at censorship of the arts in South Carolina in just a few months' time. This March, the S.C. state legislature moved to strip USC Upstate and the College of Charleston of funding for presenting a play and a book, respectively, that represent LGBT characters and lifestyles. (The play in question was How to Be a Lesbian in 10 Days or Less, and the book was MacArthur "Genius" award-winning Alison Bechdel's Fun Home.) The measure was eventually defeated, but now we're left with the knowledge that members of our legislature and town and city councils are even more backward than we thought.

The Gaillard Auditorium is delayed beyond Spoleto Festival USA 2015

On Nov. 12, the city announced that the Gaillard, which is in the midst of extensive renovation it's basically being completely rebuilt would not be open for next year's Spoleto Festival, as planned. This resulted in a whole lot of shuffling by festival staff as they scrambled to find new venues for all the shows that they'd planned to host in the shiny new performing arts center. But they handled it with grace. Spoleto's director of marketing and PR, Jennifer Scott, told us the day after the announcement that "Ultimately, we're pleased that the city took the time to stop and say, 'Wait a minute, let's have a look at what's happening.' We're just pleased that they're making the commitment to building the best hall they can."

Let's hope that the auditorium really blows us all away when it does open.

On a similar topic, Spoleto was lackluster

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Censorship, delays, and more made for a rough 2014

HONG KONG (CNNMoney)

Other Google (GOOG) products, including Search, Sites and Picasa, have been similarly targeted by Chinese government agencies that govern Internet and social media content.

With Gmail access now severely restricted, Google's suite of services are largely blacked out in China.

Some Gmail users in China reported on Twitter Tuesday that service had been restored. But Google's own data still shows that fewer than 20% of people in China can access their Gmail.

The outcry over the latest blockage was swift and angry. Business travelers complained they will no longer be able to access email while in China without jumping through hoops. Their Chinese counterparts complained that it will now be more difficult to conduct business internationally.

And Google is hardly alone.

Related: Banned! 8 things you won't find in China

Access to Twitter (TWTR, Tech30), Facebook (FB, Tech30) and YouTube is blocked in China. During recent pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, the Facebook-owned photo sharing app Instagram was blacked out on the Mainland.

Taken together, the restrictions constitute the world's largest -- and most effective -- state-sponsored censorship program. The effort, officially called "Golden Shield," is more than a decade old.

The program allows Beijing to restrict content it deems sensitive (on democracy, Tibet or the Uighur ethnic group, for example). Thousands of websites are blocked outright, and Chinese citizens that offend authorities can face judicial consequences.

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The Great Firewall of China is nearly complete

Thai officials have ordered Internet service providers to block access to content deemed undesirable to the government or monarchy, as well as report it to authorities. Where ISPs had to seek court approval previously for such actions, they can do so now under Thailand's national security and lse-majest laws.

The policy change was approved Monday at a meeting between telecommunications regulator National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, the polices Special Branch and major Internet service providers, according to the Bangkok Post. In cases where the ISP is unsure whether content is objectionable, NBTC secretary general Takorn Tantasith said they may consult NBTC staff.

The censorship policy impacts Web pages and social media, including Twitter and Facebook. "We'd like to ask everyone to check carefully before posting or sharing anything on the Internet, said Tantasith, who provided a Gmail address for people to report offensive content.

The move toward harsher censorship is seen as a response by the government toward foreign media companies for failing to comply with Thai requests for content removal, according to the Bangkok Post. Googles transparency report indicated they received two requests from July to December 2013 from Thailand's Ministry of Information and Communication Technology to remove 298 YouTube videos that allegedly insulted the Thai royal family; Google did not comply because the request was for global removals. During that time period, Google received 11 requests for 322 items to be removed, of which 73 percent were related to government criticism.

Thai Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan announced Saturday that he would use his absolute power to back Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-chas bid to shut down media critical of the government and the monarchy. Wongsuwan said Prayuths government wants to build reconciliation, but the media are hindering that process with their critical articles, according to the Bangkok Post.

Thailand has a long history of censorship. Its strict lse majest laws afford direct control over broadcast and print media, and now digital outlets. In the 2014 Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index, Thailand came in 130 out of 180 countries listed. Since deposing the Yingluck Shinawatra government in May, the Prayuth government has filed 93 lse majest charges and shut down 392 websites, according to ZDNet.

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Thailand Internet Censorship: Government Orders Service Providers To Block Criticism, Take Down Content

Documentary called Reinventing the Royals pulled days before broadcast Critical of Prince Charles' attempt to rebuild reputation after Diana's death His methods left Prince William feeling 'used to father's interests', it claims MPs accuse Royals of 'gross interference' after lawyers intervened BBC criticised for failing to 'stand firm' over controversial documentary Informed sources said the documentary became a 'hatchet job' on Charles

By Martin Robinson for MailOnline

Published: 06:57 EST, 31 December 2014 | Updated: 11:35 EST, 31 December 2014

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The BBC's decision to shelve a documentary about the Royal Family days before it was due to be broadcast is 'sinister censorship', critics said today.

Reinventing The Royals is said to be critical of Prince Charles' attempt to rebuild his reputation and increase public sympathy for Camilla Parker Bowles after the death of Princess Diana.

MPs said today the Royals are guilty of 'gross interference' after lawyers known to represent Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall are said to have complained about the shows.

Critics have also said that the BBC has questions to answer after failing to 'stand firm' under pressure over the documentary.

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BBC's decision to drop Prince Charles documentary is 'sinister censorship' says MP

Christmas Unnecessary Censorship ft Charlie Brown, Frosty the Snowman, Santa is Coming Censored
Ninja Panda Unnecessary Censorship Christmas Special ft. Charlie Brown, Frosty the Snowman, Santa is Coming to Town This Week in Unnecessary Censorship, a Ch...

By: Ninja Panda Too

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Christmas Unnecessary Censorship ft Charlie Brown, Frosty the Snowman, Santa is Coming Censored - Video

Chinese Style INTERNET CENSORSHIP | James Corbett (Part 3)
This is part 3, is part 1 http://bit.ly/Corbett_1 SUBSCRIBE (it #39;s FREE!) to "Finance and Liberty" for more interviews and financial insight! http://bit.ly/...

By: FinanceAndLiberty.com

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Chinese Style INTERNET CENSORSHIP | James Corbett (Part 3) - Video

R-Girls - Censorship
The R-Girls discuss censorship with guest and callers.

By: Tampa Public Access Vault

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R-Girls - Censorship - Video