Censorship and Press Freedom

Freedom of the press is a vital part of any democracy. People have a right to know what is happening in the country – especially if politicians and bureaucrats try to hide decisions from public scrutiny. That’s why it’s so good to see newspapers in this country publishing pages demonstrating the threat of censorship. We all need to pressure the Government to relax aspects of its security laws which do not relate to specific security issues. I am reminded of the stand taken by the Rhodesia Herald after the 1975 Unilateral Declaration of Independence by Ian Smith and the Rhodesian Front Government. In defiance of censorships laws, the newspaper left blank spaces where articles had been banned. Allowing criticism of Government actions is an indication of political maturity. Banning dissent is an indication of dictatorship. The time may be right for revolution in this country. Our Government needs to be big enough to accept criticism and stand up for what is right. It could start by pushing for the US Government to drop its action against Julian Assange who alerted the world to serious misconduct.

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