Conclusion

We are told that the aim of censorship is protection. It is in the interest of keeping our children from reading, hearing or seeing any inappropriate material. Media outlets must be rated by a system and overseen by an agency so that the public will be informed of the kind of content they may be exposing themselves to. Though the intentions may be good, there is another side to this coin. Censorship suppresses creativity and stifles opinions that are radical or different from the status quo. Is it not also in the people’s best interest to be exposed to opposing points of view and ideas that are outside of the norm? Censoring such material and keeping it out of the public eye only hinders the tolerance of minority views. It is clear that censorship in the media is both a constant battle and an ongoing debate. There will continue to be people who push the envelope and stand up to censors, and there will continue to be people who try to drive them back down. With media technology evolving so quickly, new issues and arguments over censorship arise every day. An easy solution does not exist, nor will this struggle come to an end any time soon.