THE POWER OF INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
FOR TRIUMPH OR TERROR
FOR TRIUMPH OR TERROR
*Note from Douglas Castle, publisher of THE INTERNATIONALIST PAGE blog
(http://TheInternationalistPage.blogspot.com) and other publications which are featured at TNNWC Group’s http://www.DouglasCastleBlogosphere.com Section:
Dear Colleagues and Friends:
Internet- enabled media such as YouTube and Google have the ability to instantly publish (or to provide self-publishing capability) and circulate information and multi-sensorial graphics about anything to virtually any part of the world. These powerful electronic media have the inherent ability to circulate encouraging, positive news of benefit to all subscribers, but they also provide a vast, open forum for promoters of violence, hatred, inflammatory rhetoric and suggestive themes to a giant and growing audience. Censorship is the ultimate responsibility of the consumer – he or she can choose to be engaged by some programming or to simply switch to different programming…as easily as switching channels.
The important thing to remember about these media is that they are platforms for showcasing programming placed there by others. Any third party, for example, can post a video to YouTube – whether it is about building a homemade flamethrower or floral arranging. There is something for every taste or area of interest posted by others who are catering or pandering to every taste or area of interest. As such, it has incredible power for direct communication between any individual pedestrian broadcaster and the world audience. It enables the rapid-fire proliferation of ideas, for better or for worse.
I am a proponent of free speech, of freedom of the press, and of the free practice of religion. Human minds hunger for ideas, information and entertainment, and a free press assures that they will receive a diversity of news and views. When the press is totally hamstrung by a party, class or government, it starts being an instrument of propaganda for the benefit of those forces controlling it, and its writers are merely servants of those forces. YouTube and Google, in contrast, are virtual open forums for all information from all parties with all types of views.
For the most part, this is a wonderful thing – it brings people closer together, it allows access to promote and absorb new ideas, and it is truly an instrument of Internationalism as we discover both the differences and the similarities that make us each unique, but yet unify us through revealed areas of commonality.
When someone chooses to abuse this vast power to advocate violent, hateful and unlawful acts, this free speech opportunity suddenly allows a malevolent message to metastasize into a wave of deadly reactive behavior – attacks, suicides and murder, as well as a host of other unspeakable but very real abuses.
I believe freedom to use these media should be unrestricted unless the promoter of programming is advocating genocide, suicide and other unarguably criminal ideals and acts. No citizen broadcaster should be permitted to put on a show of someone being abused (against his or her free will), or of a sermon which spews hatred and advocates murder…some of these videos are graphic and instructive in the extreme. And they are being streamed into the minds of young people, confused people, people in crisis and other persons whose critical judgment and sensibilities may be weak, impaired or unfairly influenced.
Having said this, I wanted to show you something which I noticed in the UN WIRE (published by the United Nations) today. Please read it, and they look at the articles which are hyperlinked below it.
Thank you for visiting, and for perhaps playing a role in saving a world that seems to be shaking loose of civilization and moving out into the uncharted and very frightening regions of chaos.
The inspiration for this article was this simple paragraph:
“Under pressure from American and British officials, YouTube on Wednesday removed from its site some of the hundreds of videos featuring calls to jihad by Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born, Yemen-based cleric who has played an increasingly public role in inspiring violence directed at the West.”
Isn’t there already enough terrorism, and the fearful, cringing behavior that it inspires amongst those who are subjected to directly, or who are forced to live in its shadow?
Instead of breeding bombers and victims, might it not be a more productive idea to inspire better understanding, patience and global friendships?
Yours Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
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“YouTube and Google deserve credit for trying to distinguish videos that are merely offensive from those that show graphic violence or hate speech or risk inciting imminent violence."
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