[MR] why censor music?

[Terry L. Neill]

>i understand completely the need to keep calm heads during these recent 
>times..however, one of our strongest principles continues to be our freedom 
>of speech, expression--wouldn't banning certain songs be contrary to those 
>very tenets from which we were founded? isabella


Another tenent on which this country was founded is Editorial Freedom.  
"Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the 
press ...."


As I posted earlier, that don't-play list is misinformation.

But even if it was completely true, it wouldn't be *censorship*.  Don't 
confuse Censorship with Editorial Discretion.

Laws on child pornography are censorship. (Please do NOT give in to 
temptation to debate the good or bad of the government censoring such 
things!!!)

School districts (arms of the government) restricting access to certain 
books is censorship. (Please do NOT give in to temptation to debate the good 
or bad of the government censoring such things!!!)

However, a private company that owns radio stations issuing a list of songs 
it doesn't want it's DJs to play is NOT censorship.  That's editing.  (And 
mind you, that is NOT what happened in this instance.  See snopes.com)

A private concern may make any decision it likes, within the law and 
constitution, on what it will and will not broadcast or publish.  All such 
decisions, for whatever reasons, are NOT censorship.  They are editorial 
policies.  Which we may or may not agree with.  But it aint censorship.

For example, GB Trudeau decided this week to run old Doonesbury strips, 
instead of the ones, critical of Bush, he had planned to run this week.  
This is not censorship.  It's Trudeau's editorial decision.  And even if he 
had decided to go ahead with the original strips, and the papers refused to 
run them, that wouldn't have been censorship either.  It would have been an 
editorial decision.

One might just as well accuse a Country Music station that refuses to 
broadcast Acid Rock of censorship.

Censorship is a serious matter that impinges on freedom in this country.  I 
think it should be fought wherever appropriate.  But it shouldn't be 
confused with editorial decisions.

Regards!


  - Anarra

Dona Nobis Pacem


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