Media Censorship

Comics Code Authority

2007-04-30T17:58:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comics_Code_Authority

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:CCA.gif

When I think about it, the art of comics have been changed. When receiving those Spiderman comics in the New York Post newspaper a while back, I’ve noticed that back then, the front cover of comics had attractive and revealing women on the front. Now, they don’t. Why is that? Doing some research online, I figured out that it is due to the Comics Code Authority (CCA) which is related to the Comics Magazine Association of America (CMAA).

The Comics Code Authority was created in 1954 on behalf of the public concern about inappropriate comics. The purpose of the CCA is to regulate and moniter the contents of comics distributed. When accepted as not a violation of the CCA rules, the comic gets the CCA seal on it.

“The CCA code was based upon the largely unenforced code drafted by the Association of Comics Magazine Publishers in 1948, which in turn was modeled loosely after the 1930 Hollywood Production Code. The CCA, however, imposed many more restrictions than its predecessor.”

Due to the CCA code, there came an enormous increase underground comics. Specifically, the underground comics dealt with the issues that the CCA code prohibited.

Even though the CCA code was effective at that time, some other slipped by without even needing the CCA seal upon the cover.

“In 1971, Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Stan Lee was approached by the United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare to do a comic book tale of drug abuse. Lee agreed and wrote a three-part Spider-Man story portraying drug use as dangerous and unglamorous. The CCA refused to approve the story because of the presence of narcotics, deeming the context of the story irrelevant. With the approval of his publisher, Martin Goodman, Lee published the story in The Amazing Spider-Man #96-98 (May-July 1971), without CCA approval. The storyline was well-received and the CCA's argument for denying approval was deemed counterproductive.”

Now, in the 2000s, DC Comics and Marvel Comics, without the CCA seal, began to approve adult comics of their own accord. By 2005, major comics such as DC Comics and Archie Comics still submit their products to the CCA for approval.

Cartoon Censorship

2007-04-08T17:55:00.000-07:00

http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/m/media_censorship.asp

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/03/11/INGU4OGDT11.DTL

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. The article mentioned belongs to David Wallis.

Media Censorship also does play a role in history. One example is the power of cartoons. In the past, cartoons on flyers depict others in a certain way to appeal to those who read or see it. The reactions and feelings that result in the end is what matters.

“Long before World War II, David Low of Britain's Evening Standard routinely depicted Hitler as a dolt, which infuriated the thin-skinned fuhrer so much that the Gestapo put the British cartoonist on a hit list.” In the article, Wallis also mentioned that the CIA favorites cartoon drawings that makes the public opinion turn against their leader. It is the power of persuasion in art form so to speak. The spoken word is a powerful force but the power of art is just as great. What we see with our eyes effect how we think, back in the past and now with the present.

“In America, cartoonists don't face banishment, jail cells or assassinations. Suffering for art here means killed cartoons, not killed cartoonists. Still, just like their colleagues in more repressive parts of the world, our editorial artists frequently struggle with censorship. It's not as if we're in Soviet times when the government totally controlled what readers could and could not see. Here, it's the newspapers and magazines that do most of the censoring. Work deemed controversial, sacrilegious, risqué, politically incorrect or simply bad for business often gets killed before publication.”

The power of media censorship in cartoons restricts us from other’s views on what he or she sees. In truth, most of the cartoons that are seen risky do not even make it to the publisher’s table.

Media Censorship in America

2007-04-08T17:52:00.000-07:00

http://www.fdrs.org/media_censorship.html

Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

In the site mentioned above, the public and the economy are being watched every day. Do we know it? Probably, we do. Those who have seen Will Smith act in the movie, “Enemy of the State” know what I am talking about. In that movie, apparently Smith gets caught in a deadly battle against the corrupt official and believed to have in possession some incriminating evidence. Due to that; his clothes, phone, and every thing else that he owns or do gets spied on or reported on.

“Did you see the correlation between the movie and what’s happening for “real”? Many folks just don’t see it. They think we’ll never get to that. Because of media propaganda and outright media censorship, a mostly unknowing populace goes on about their lives mindlessly accepting the attacks against our United States Constitution and the freedoms it protects.”

Media censorship in society also violates our right of privacy. Most people may know now, that people’s cell phones can act as honing devices and trackers. Along with that, every call is being listened to by the police or someone else.

“Why isn’t there a media blitz against all this? Why aren’t people yelling bloody murder? Largely, because people just don’t know anything beyond what the TV box allows them to know – THERE IS MEDIA CENSORSHIP OF THE TOTALITARIAN EFFORTS OF THE BANKING ELITE."

In conclusion, media censorship hides the REAL TRUTH from people’s minds. Keeping the public in shadows of what they are truly doing. We ARE being watched, and most of us know it yet we don’t do any thing about it.

Media Censorship-Legal & Intentional?

2007-04-08T17:46:00.000-07:00

“Media owners and managers are motivated to please advertisers and upper middle class readers and viewers. Journalists and editors are not immune from management influence. Journalists want to see their stories approved for print or broadcast, and editors come to know the limits of their freedom to diverge from the bottom line view of owners and managers. The results are an expansion of entertainment news, infomercials, and synergistic news- all aimed at increased profit taking. For example in 1997, the new CEO of the Los Angeles Times found it necessary to assign a business manager to each section of the newspaper in order to insure that a proper profit-oriented product was developed and to help maintain a corporate climate that reflected the management desires of the board of directors.”

It is obvious now that what ever we do, we do for profit or for the benefits of ourselves. Taken from the quote above, it describes that the most appealing or attractive stories, myths, and tall tales are only spun out to take in more audience. What we read or see influences our actions and along the way, get us more addicted.

The people who include media censorship in our daily lives KNOW how it affects the public. They somehow acquire the ability to manipulate our mind like this. Some times by restraining what we should or should not know. Do they do it for the better? It IS intentional and the more we know now, the better.

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Media/Media%20Censor_ProjCensor.html

Dangerous Approved Drugs We Don't Know About?

2007-03-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

http://www.newstarget.com/005032.html

FDA censorship, suppression of its own scientists is routine, survey reveals.
Sunday, February 27, 2005 by: Mike Adams

"Here's information you're not supposed to know about the FDA. It was uncovered through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request that uncovered a 2002 Human and Health Services survey asking FDA scientists questions about the agency. Their answers reveal an astonishing lack of confidence at the Fraud and Drug Administration, not to mention the bullying of scientists by FDA bureaucrats to get drugs approved even though they were dangerous."

This article provides an insight into how the Fraud and Drug Administration REALLY work. By harassment of the scientists to pass deadly drugs to the public is quite a major flaw in their system. How does media censorship affect this situation? On the issue that we—the public did not even know what was going on and was withheld information that CAN CAUSE HARMFUL EFFECTS TO OUR HEALTH!!!

In the article mentioned, even the scientists did not feel comfortable in the hands of their own agency. They felt unstable in trusting that the FDA will take care and precaution when the prescription pills are passed into the public. One in five scientists that worked for the FDA even said that he or she has been pressured to approve dangerous and unreliable drugs. What’s the motive for the FDA’s actions? Profit. It is quite remarkable how low people can go for money while brainwashing our minds in the process. Next time, when you are at which ever food aisle in the super market, think twice when it says FDA approved on the product.

BANNED IN THE MEDIA by Herbert Foerstel

2007-03-14T07:18:00.000-07:00

“From colonial times to the present, the media in America has been subject to censorship challenges and regulations. This comprehensive reference guide to media censorship provides in-depth coverage of each media format--newspapers, magazines, motion pictures, radio, television, and the Internet--all of which have been, and continue to be, battlegrounds for First Amendment issues. Each media format is examined in-depth, from its origins and history through its modern development, and features discussion of landmark incidents and cases. Foerstel, author of Banned in the U.S.A., the acclaimed reference guide to book censorship in schools and public libraries, offers a brief history of media censorship, examines in-depth the drama of seven landmark incidents, and includes 31 relevant court cases. Complementing the volume are personal interviews with prominent victims of media censorship, who give human voice to the struggle of the media to remain free, and an examination of censorship

of the student press. Fascinating examples of media censorship abound, from Peter Zenger's pre-Revolutionary trial for "seditious libel" to the modern tobacco industry's invocation of "tortuous interference" to silence television news and the current rash of Internet censorship incidents.”

http://www.amazon.com/Banned-Media-Censorship-Broadcasting-Information/dp/B000FWGQ10

To go long in the history of censorship, one must do research. Here is a book I have come across. It may interest hard core readers that are interested in the injustice and history or censorship in America. The topic of the book is actually to discuss the reasons why there is media censorship within the society. Is it to control us all without us knowing? To blind us to other value systems others participate in but won't let us do for the fear of us releasing rebellion? It's for you to think out.

Title: Banned in the Media: A Reference Guide to Censorship in the Press, Motion Pictures, Broadcasting, and the Internet (New Directions in Information Management)

Author: Herbert Foerstel

Internet Censorship

2007-03-07T07:17:00.000-08:00

Today's topic: Internet censorship. Internet censorship is the power to control or restrict information that have been created or accessed on the Internet. From young children to elderly adults and all in between. Each one of us has been barred from certain internet sites in different parts of the world. Why? Let's delve into this topic more...

An example is China. As some people go back to China—whether for the purpose of education or vacation, people find that they can not access certain cites. This is due to using certain subdomain from netfirms. One possible reason that there’s internet censorship in China is because the government doesn’t want any offensive sites exposed to the public or there’s certain sites that are against Chinese religion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship

“While there is no universally agreed upon definition of what constitutes "pervasive censorship", organizations such as Reporters without Borders and the Open Net Initiative identify some nations as practicing extreme levels of Internet censorship. Such nations often censor political content and may retaliate with measures such as imprisonment against citizens who violate the censorship.”[1]

Though I agree that there are certain sites that shouldn’t be accessed, some which have no negative output or offensive information should be allowed to view. People create sites to be seen, to be read by others, to inspire for the good of mankind. Should those innocent sites be banned from the minds of others who can change the world?

http://chinese-school.netfirms.com/Internet-censorship.html
[1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship#Implemented_or_mandated_by_governments

CELL PHONE TAPPING!!! YOU BETTER READ THIS!!!

2007-03-05T15:46:00.000-08:00

“…revealed that the FBI has the ability from a remote location to activate a cell phone and turn its microphone into a listening device that transmits to an FBI listening post, a method known as a "roving bug."

From this article dating back from December 2006, it described the actions of the FBI on the public. What’s the action? Cell phone tapping. It seems like the FBI has their own ways of listening to your every call or conversation. They can even manipulate your cell phone into a tracking device. Of course they can also operate your cell phone from a different place even when it is closed. One way to stop it is to take out your cell phone battery. The article also included that every manufactured cell phone has a tracking device built in.

What do the people in the public think about this? This (America) was once described as “land of the free”—yet not really…we aren’t actually free. How can we survive and trust one another much more if there’s no privacy in the world? Is this why we have lost faith in the government? What seems so righteous and moral before now holds no meaning at all.

http://www.guide-to-cell-phones.com/wp-content/womenshoppingcellphone.jpg

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/12/can_you_hear_me.html

The Supreme Court Vs. The First Amendment

2007-03-02T07:04:00.000-08:00

You have probably heard of this case in which ever History class you took it in. Schenck vs. the United States. Apparently the story goes; a man named Charles Schenck decided to pass around 15,000 flyers/leaflets to the men to resist being drafting into the war at that time. “The flyer, which cited the Thirteenth Amendment's provision against "involuntary servitude," exhorted the men to "assert [their] opposition to the draft," which it described as a moral wrong had driven by the capitalist system.” The Thirteenth Amendment prohibits involuntary servitude. What does that mean? Involuntary servitude means that a person can force you to work against your own will. Even though involuntary servitude is considered illegal in the United States to an extent, Schenck was still charged with conspiracy by an attempt of insubordination and was sent to prison for six months. Insubordination definition: Disobedience.

“The First Amendment did not protect speech encouraging insubordination, since, "[w]hen a nation is at war many things that might be said in time of peace are such a hindrance to its effort that their utterance will not be endured so long as men fight, and that no Court could regard them as protected by any constitutional right." In other words, the court held, the circumstances of wartime permit greater restrictions on free speech than would be allowable during peacetime.” This means that our right of free speech is restricted in the times of war and whatever we say can’t be protected by the Court.

From my point of view, I don't think that he was wrong in alerting the men of their rights and choices. Even though the men who got the leaflets may or may not choose to join the war, the bottom line is, it is the guy's choice which preludes into what will happen. We humans ALWAYS have a choice. It is actually more on what our actions are that show the choice we make.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schenck_v._United_States

http://www.krusch.com/real/supreme.html

Media Violence Labeling Act of 1999

2007-02-28T06:27:00.000-08:00

While searching the web about issues of media entertainment censorship, this is what I found out...

Apparently, in the year of 1999, a law that was up to choosing pass or not to pass included that the government has the right to censor what you see in entertainment (Media Violence Labeling Act of 1999). They have the right to regulate and choose how much amount of violence can be shown, how much blood can be spilled. Why did they choose to pass the law? The answer: they fear that media violence will make the people who watch it more susceptible to real world violence. The result of this would be enforcing a rating system that labels violent content in the entertainment field.

A COMMON RATING SYSTEM STILL USED TODAY IS:

Personally, I think that the rating system can help watch over the younger generation but up to a certain level. In reality, the younger generations are already exposed to the adult world. I bet that if you ask any 5th grader what s*x, is they will answer you. Why? Considering the adult subliminal messages on T.V. and the honest truth on the street it is not common that the kids already know “certain” issues the adults would rather not talk about.

http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=10932

http://www.beartooththeatre.net/images/Ratingsposter5.jpg

http://judiciary.senate.gov/oldsite/mediavio.htm

Have you realized?

2007-02-27T18:42:00.000-08:00

Let's begin on what the general meaning of "anime" is. Anime: Japanese animation. Another definition of anime can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anime.

When looking at anime, you can tell the difference between Eastern anime and Western cartoons. Anime characters are actually defined with bigger eyes and lots of hair. In Western cartoons, it is more based on superhero themes. Some examples of anime shows are Naruto, Bleach, Death Note, Dragon Ball Z, Yugioh, Full Metal Alchemist, Digimon, Sailor Moon, and Pokemon. Films like Spirited Away is also an anime work. In general terms, anime to the Japanese is like cartoons to us Americans. It is only our drawing technique that’s different.

Akihabara, Tokyo. A famous place for otaku fans.

For any one who truly is an anime fan, sometimes referred to as “otaku” know what anime is, can actually tell you the difference between the original anime shown in Japan and the anime shown in the U.S. Real anime uncensored, tend to be more brutal and bloody than the ones shown in America.

Obviously, the anime in America has been altered before selling it to the public. It’s probably due to the fact that Japan is more lenient in certain issues than the United States is. For example, in the anime series, Card Captor Sakura, there is a male/male relationship hinted, but not exaggerated. But in the U.S., even that whole part and relationship was cut out of the series when it was shown on t.v. The two male characters in the original never even held hands.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anime

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Akihabara_picture.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Editing_of_anime_in_American_distribution#Censorship_of_Homosexuality

Introduction

2007-02-26T07:28:00.000-08:00

Welcome one and all!

Does anyone remember the censored Family Guy episode 64 when the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) decided to censor television?

The bikinis on Three's Company, Ralph Kramden's threats of spousal abuse, nudity, and even Dick van Dyke's name were cut out or blocked out with black bars. Why is that? Is there any other reason than to protect the younger audience from being exposed to adult situations? Is there any other motive that the government is keeping from us?

Even now, there is a rating system in the movies and in the movie commercial advertisements too, deciding who can watch what. A result of that: people sneaking into different movie rooms and illegally watching the movies that he/she REALLY wants to see.

Another issue, is the theory that if media violence is not limited, it will provide a huge negative effect onto the public; therefore, causing the public to act more hostile in the environment. Is that really true? Where is the proof?

This site is to explore the Media Censorship and Rules of anime, television, and other issues in the entertainment business. Views, court cases, and opinions will be included from the public, the government, and whoever else wants to reply.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PTV_(Family_Guy)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:FamilyGuyPTV.jpg