Freedom of communication
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
"I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."-Voltaire
Everyone has several fundamental rights of communication. These are:
(1) the right to be heard by everyone who wants to hear them
(2) the right to hear anyone who wants to be heard by them
(3) the right to not be heard by anyone they wish
(4) the right to not hear anyone they wish Any medium of communication can be judged by how well these rights are upheld.
Censorship
Censorship does not violate the first two rights, exactly, because there will always be some way to communicate with people freely; however, it does limit the freedom of the medium being censored. The third right is often the one people insist the most on having, but the fourth is just as important, and often neglected. Censorship, generally, is attempting to enforce the fourth at the expense of the first and second.
More coming soon.
