Why? Because it initiates thought.
Free Speech is more than just opinions, its a catalyst for change. What one person may say to 10000 people can be interpreted 10000 ways.
Today we talked about how Telenovelas are often censored. What's even worse is that they are not even necessarily being censored by only the government, they are being censored by the networks. How is this worse - it creates a chilling effect. At least when the government tells you what you can and cannot do, there is a much more rigid set of standards/rules. When the networks are censoring themselves, they have to err on the side of caution, thus keeping things that may not be censored off the air.
Telenovelas are one of the most powerful mediums of mass media. People follow them more religiously than the news, so it is a very good way to send messages.
These writers are incredibly intelligent people who have a message to send, and it's a shame that some of their writing is censored.
I agree 100%. Hopefully writers who have a purpose of creating social change using telenovelas as the medium will always strive to find a way to disseminate that message, despite fear of censorship. (For example, the way Pardon skirted around censorship by making references to "other" countries.)
ReplyDeleteI wonder, would it be possible for telenovela editions that air in the U.S. to include material/dialogue that was previously censored out when it was broadcast in latinamerica? Would any messages censored in latinamerica be relevant at all for a United States audience?
This makes me so thankful for U.S. media and journalists whose JOB is to keep the government in check. How can any of us neglect such a power? I love communication!
They shouldn't have to censor how they feel, I agree! If they weren't forced to censor, that many more social and political messages would get out. I'm not saying people should solely get there news from telenovelas, they should read and become informed, but telenovleass are also a good way to address these issues. If the writer sees a problem, why not write about it? Many watching probably feel the same way anyway.
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