Merits and Demerits of Censorship

Censorship is the removal or withholding of information from the public by a controlling group or body. Typically censorship is done by governments, religious groups, or the mass media, although other forms of censorship exist.

There are many reasons that lead to censorship especially the media by the government. Some reasons are listed below:

1. Critics or negative opinions made by opposition parties in a country may be censored, as the government will feel that their powers are being threatened. If the critics and opinions are shown to the public, the feelings of the citizens may stir and problems may arise.
2. Some issues that are sensitive such as races and religions are often censored to prevent any unnecessary troubles. This can be seen easily from the past during the post-war period when racial riots are rampant due to the increasing tension caused by each race. Therefore, these issues are censored.
3. Some movies or drama serials contain scenes that are harmful towards the young. Such scenes are violent, sexual or scenes that carry ideas that will lead people astray. If the young watch violent scenes, they may people who use violence to solve problems. Sexual scenes may increase the number of underage sex, which is unhealthy for the society. Controversial ideas may lead to endless arguments and fights, which may have adverse impact on Singapore.

However, there are also demerits of censorship. Some examples are listed below:

1. Some documentaries on arts which show naked figures are considered harmful therefore they are censored. This is unfair to people who treat these as arts and who appreciate them. Not allowing these documentaries to be shown may have an adverse impact on Singapore's art aspect.
2. Lyrics of many European songs are being censored. This makes songs unentertaining and boring due to the censored tone being played throughout the song. Censorship may bring down businesses of the entertainment industry.

Censorship is a controversial issue because whether issues are harmful towards people or not are relative. And there is no real guideline to determine which things are to be censored. However, I definitely support censorship as it provides more pros than cons.