Don't Say What You Want To

Imagine sitting down to write an essay and having to think twice before you write each sentence because the wrong words could land you in prison. Imagine trying to surf the Internet and finding multiple web sites blocked. Imagine looking for books to read for leisure and becoming dismayed at the limited selection of un-banned literature.

These cases may sound extreme, but this is similar to the state of freedom of speech and freedom of press in China, with the intense censorship laws that are put into place by the government. China’s constitution provides freedom of speech and press for its citizens, but it also states that citizens must protect “the security, honor, and interests of the motherland.” Thus, this stipulation leads to the detaining of journalists and activists, by the overarching government media watchdog, the Communist Party’s Central Propaganda Department. The CPD provides guidelines for journalists and limits the amount of coverage for controversial issues—like the state of affairs in Tibet and relations with Taiwan.

Journalists who do not abide to the strict guidelines face dismissals and demotions, charges of libel, fines, and imprisonment. Additionally, the government has closed down news outlets for distributing what was allegedly "internal information."

It is difficult to fathom how a country that is rapidly becoming one of the world’s leading countries in terms of technological and industrial advancements can be so behind in the matter of free speech. In order for China to continue its rise on the world stage, the government must recognize the importance of granting its citizens greater freedoms. A country cannot successfully thrive if citizens are constantly living in fear and being kept in the dark regarding prevalent national issues. should realize that allowing freedom of speech and freedom of press will not harm citizens but inform and educate them. As philosopher John Dewey said, "Education is the fundamental method of social progress and reform. Through education, society can formulate its own purposes, can organize its own means and resources, and thus shape itself with definiteness and economy in the direction in which it wishes to move."

In recent news, the Internet research group, Citizen lab revealed in an October 8, 2008 report that the Chinese authorities have gone to the extent of monitoring Skype calls for citizens. They look for politically sensitive keywords like "Tibet" and "democracy" and references to the Chinese Communist Party and the tainted milk case in Skype text message exchanges. When these words are found, information about the messages is logged. Thus, this monitoring is no better than tapping phone lines. The resulting lack of privacy only leads to a more intense limit of speech for citizens. If Chinese authorities continue in this direction, what’s to stop them from coming into people’s houses and sitting in at their dinner conversations? Who’s to stop them from imprisoning people due to overheard exchanges on the street?

The country cannot progress with these heavy crackdowns on freedom of speech, press, and privacy. Their chance for recognition on the world stage relies on their ability to reform their record of human rights violations. In order to successfully achieve this, they must start by recognizing the necessity of basic freedoms for their citizens.

-Sanyee