Lexile: 740L
One fundamental right in a free, democratic
country is that the people must be allowed to know what their government is
doing. This right is the basis of “freedom of the press” and the public’s “right
to know.” There are cases, though, when these rights are tested. In wartime, a
country may try to limit or hide information. One way to do this is to ban the televising
of the war. Does banning the televising of war violate the ideas of freedom of
the press, and the public’s right to know? There is no simple answer.
First, let’s look at the freedom of the
press. Freedom of the press means that journalists can report news without
censorship. During a war, war correspondents televise events from the war to
the public. This ensures the military is not doing anything unethical or
immoral. Without this freedom, a free country could easily turn into a
dictatorship. On the other hand, there
are many problems in televising wartime events. Sometimes, journalists are not
impartial. They may televise only negative scenes from the war. In addition,
televising wars may make wars seem like entertainment. This does not give honor
to the soldiers.
Now, let’s consider the public’s right to
know. The right to know is a basic right. In a free country, people need
information to elect their officials and to protest unfair policies. Therefore,
people should see the events in a war. If these events were not televised, it
would easy for the government to hide the truth. However, even in a free
country, the public must be protected. Sometimes, there is extreme violence.
Violent incidents should not be televised. Also, the government has always had the
right to block some types of information. In those cases, the government’s
power can supersede the rights of the people. Many war events should be kept
secret, and so wars should not be televised.
The decision to televise a war has many
issues. However, the rights of the people must always be considered. It is a
difficult decision with no clear-cut answer.
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