free speech tv

free speech tv

The Importance of Free Speech in Television

1. The Power of Free Speech in Television

Oftentimes the power of freedom of speech is overlooked because people do not fully understand its implications. It is sometimes best to look at what can happen in its absence to realize its true power. When people or ideas are oppressed and not allowed to be expressed, it is often to benefit others in some way. When Hitler imposed his purges and his ideas on the German society, he ordered the destruction of all forms of free speech. This was an attempt to oppress those who would oppose his ideas. His intentions were that if the only ideas in circulation are his own, then it would be easier for him to achieve his goals. This is a severe example, but it shows that the silencing of other people or ideas is a powerful tool to sway the thoughts of a society in a desired direction. And it can often be to the detriment of the rights of individuals. This is a great antithesis to what free speech stands for. In its allowance of all ideas to be expressed no matter how radical or taboo, free speech upholds the rights of individuals by not allowing others to decide what is best for them. This is due to the belief that the truth of an idea will always win out in a free and open encounter with its opposing idea. Free speech provides the arena for this encounter and through laws and social ethics, television in its freedom has often been a partisan of this ideal.

It is vital that we take the time to examine the basic philosophy behind freedom of speech itself. Freedom of speech is an important right in our society. It brings about the exchange of ideas upon which people can then make decisions. This makes it an important tool for the establishment and protection of individual rights. Television, being a modern medium of communication, brings these ideas into people’s homes. People speak of what freedom speech means to them, but the power of this freedom can often be underestimated.

The Moral Basis of Free Speech

2. The Role of Free Speech TV in Promoting Democracy

Though a democracy takes many different forms on different levels, these forms can be designed to fit the real preferences and needs of people in particular places and times rather than as a global blueprint or a one-size-fits-all package to be implemented. Yet the only form of democracy that is truly responsible and rational is a free one. In a system of representational democracy, only policies that win the favor of the majority of elected officials can be implemented. While these politicians may only adhere to existing statute or policy through fear for future election prospects or due to personal moral stance, a change in policy or the creation of a new policy can only occur if the people would like it to. This cannot be known in the absence of free speech. Free speech is therefore a crucial component in the mechanism of a democracy for deciding and influencing the will of the people. Whether this influence be direct at the policy-making stage, or indirectly through shaping the ideas of those who will later influence policy. Free speech is the only method by which this can be done. Bars on the freedom to communicate and access information insulate the policy-making process from the will of the people and reality in general. Therefore, the policies implemented will be a distorted version of the people’s will. An additional role for free speech in ensuring that policies are truly the preference of the people is to provide an early warning system for when policies may not be in the public interest and are being pushed by special interest groups or elected officials with their own agenda. Free speech TV can act as a watchdog of government activity at all levels through accessing and analyzing information on policy and bringing it to the attention of the people. Yet in doing this, it must also provide a means for the people to compare said policy with their preferences and adequately communicate disillusionment with current policy. This thus requires a point of access to media and means of media creation by the general public which are unattainable without guaranteed freedom of speech for all citizens.

3. Challenges and Controversies Surrounding Free Speech TV

For the most part, the present environment on television seems to allow for relatively complete freedom of expression when compared to the 1950s. It is important to remember this when thinking of negative side effects from free speech television. John Neville, director of BBC1 claimed that “The audience do not give [television] as much permission to take creative risks as they would like to think.” While television has changed drastically over the past several years, it is still not as liberal as one would think. Much of the controversial speech that is made on television today has almost become a ritual as there are always individuals who are looking to shock or to express unorthodox opinions. While many of these individuals would say such speech is vital to a free society, some have argued that it cheapens television and serves as a distraction from its real problems. This sort of speech can directly damage a broadcaster’s public image and alienate a portion of its viewers. This is what happened when ESPN’s baseball announcer Gary Thorne made a controversial statement about the intelligence of some of hockey’s foreign players. His comments angered quite a few hockey fans and given that hockey was ESPN’s lowest rated major sport, some would say that the comments did not help the sport’s image. At its most extreme, controversial speech can cause friction between different racial, ethnic, or special interest groups, or even result in violence. An example of this occurred just after the actor Michael Richards made racial comments to some black hecklers, when it was feared that further comments and actions could rekindle racial tension in this country. Despite the possibly negative results, it is unlikely that provocative speech will ever disappear from television and so this is one very important issue to consider when contemplating the value of free speech on television.

4. The Impact of Free Speech TV on Society

One of the main negative impacts on society that is contributing to the importance of free speech on television is an issue involving children. A recent increase in the amount of profanity being used in television and broadcasts has parents concerned about the effects of it on the younger generation. With all profanity, certain causes are blamed such as music videos and cable television, but talk shows and news programs are being blamed as well. Many shows feature instances of celebrities or regular people using profanity and it being broadcasted, and this can be a bad influence on the youth. In the case of 43 Liquormart, Inc. v. Rhode Island, a restriction on liquor advertisements was imposed in the hope to shield the youth of the state from hearing such things. This wasn’t effective as the court ruled that the restriction was invalid due to there being no evidence that the speech influenced the youth more than the adults. Another negative effect on society is the increase in hate speech and verbal attacks on others. Whether it be through scripted shows or reality-based television, there are many instances of racial and sexist slurs targeted to certain persons or groups. An example of this would be the O.J. Simpson case, where the former football player was tried on two counts of murder. This case had many instances of race-based comments and soon all of America got caught up in a racial debate. This would be a hard expectation to set a standard judge to censor certain verbal attacks, especially if they involve enticing current events. With all of the negative impacts of free speech television, there are foreseeable consequences when it no longer exists or becomes limited. This leads to an increase in self-censorship rules by networks in order to avoid costly fines or controversial debates. Many TV executives will begin to see the benefit in applying for cable-only networks due to lesser restrictions and a more liberal audience. This ironically worsens the impact on society as basic television will become more of a shield on the youth and a strict news and educational program may be harder to locate. Free speech channels will begin to cater more to adults and heat up the debate on whether television is a bad influence on kids. And finally, the lack of free speech on television can put pressure on the government to avoid discussing certain world issues and the implementation of media censorship laws.

5. The Future of Free Speech TV

The future of free speech TV and the ability to have controversial programming is still up in the air. Already, the government is looking into cable and satellite TV. With both of these, it makes it much easier for people to block out channels. In many ways, this is much like what the V-chip was supposed to be. Since cable and satellite TV are not government regulated, they would have to come up with their own way to censor television. Both cable and satellite TV are subscriber-based services, which means that they would have to adhere to the rules and regulations of the government if they were found to be in violation of any laws. This would mean no more controversial programming to avoid possible disputes and at the first sign of trouble, the channel would be pulled before any further problems arise. Although not yet a reality, the implications of such regulation are vast and could potentially change the nature of television. Almost all forms of regulation have the potential to change the nature of television. As we have seen above, self-regulation has already changed television and the way things are done. The effects may not be immediate, but the result would be a shift to safer programming to avoid any troubles. The safeguarding of cultural and language minorities, although in good will, will again tilt the content of television to be more politically correct and safe. This would be much the same as mainstream media, since no one wants to offend any cultures. This defeats the idea of having TV as a venue for the exchange of ideas, which include the ones that may be offensive to some people. In an increasingly diverse and globalized society, people need to better understand the views of others. Free speech in television will be more important than ever in facilitating this understanding and with many obstacles in its way, it is paramount that it is preserved.