Censorship vs Freedom of Speech Lucy Aylmer discusses the compromise between censorship and freedom of speech in light of recent world events. When Donald Trump was temporarily banned from Twitter for 12 hours amid the storming of the congress, Twitter stated the ban was on account of three offending tweets which were proclaimed to be […]
Censorship
5G Conspiracies in an ‘Infodemic’
Conspiracy theories can psychologically give an immense sense of self-security but can also result in severe consequences – in the case of the recent 5G conspiracy, it’s caused mass damage to the UK’s mobile network, and due to the health crisis, meant a loss in hospital signal. Justin Waddy explores issue at the centre of the pandemic: misinformation, and what a pattern it may set for issues that are current but sit out of the spotlight.
Where’s Waldo: Russia Edition
Russia has a precedent – as with the Chernobyl emergency, they are not speaking up. There is a rouse in place, that of a national holiday from work, to mask the very real lockdown occurring in Russia, too. This shows that Russia, like everyone else, is faced with a pandemic-shaped threat, which they are actually reacting to. But why stay quiet about it, and why not help the rest of the world, which is what is expected of a superpower?
Coronavirus Censored
Like in the days of SARS, today’s coronavirus is barely acknowledged by Beijing authorities and state-controlled media, leading to a flourishing sense of betrayal among the Chinese people, although the fast response on the side of healthcare has been exceptional.
Snitches get Stitches
On the 20th of September 2016, YouTube released a video to its official channel entitled Getting Started with YouTube Heroes, a guide to their newly launched community moderation programme of the same name. At the time of writing, that video is the 11th most ‘disliked’ in the site’s history, and the Heroes programme itself remains […]
An interview with Patrick Swaffer; president of the BBFC
Patrick Swaffer has been President of the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) since 2012, and it’s not a position short of responsibility; you’ll notice his signature before every film on British cinema screens, and nothing in the UK is released on physical media without first being studied by the watchful eyes of the BBFC. […]
One Man in Amman – The Cinema
Cinema is one of those things you can always enjoy. There’s the stale-in-the-mouth popcorn that you wish you’d never bought, the seat with three or four pieces of chewing gum glued to the underside – reluctantly discovered by an overcurious hand, the floors imbibed with sodas spilled through the decades that you can peel your […]
Issues of censorship
The release of the latest film in the James Bond franchise, Spectre, has sparked up some controversy over its 12A rating. The decision was made to cut several seconds of footage in order to reduce the rating from a 15 to a 12A, which is a much more lucrative certificate. Even the decision to release […]