This power-point presentation is aimed at year 7-8 high school students as an introduction to the concept of censorship. This is part of a university assignment.
2. WHAT IS CENSORSHIP?
• Censorship is the act of controlling information that a person or people can access
either by removing content, modifying content or banning access to content all
together.
3. THE RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH?
• America has the first amendment in its constitution that protects the right of free
speech and freedom of the press.
• As we are in Australia, we do not have a first amendment or its equivalent. The
Australian constitution does not guarantee freedom of speech. High court rulings
such as Lange V. Australian Broadcast Commission do support that as Australia is a
democracy there is an implied freedom of speech (“Freedom of information, opinion
and expression,” 2013)
4. WHY IS SOME INFORMATION
CENSORED?
• There are many reasons for censorship. Some information needs to be censored for
legal reasons or to protect people such as victims or families of accused of crimes.
• Some information is censored because it has been deemed objectionable, harmful,
sensitive, politically incorrect in some way by a third party. This third party could be
a government, non government organisation, special interest group or member of
the public. (Williams & Dillon, 1993, pp. 1-3)
5. • The reason for an item being censored can fall under three main categories.
These are:
• Blasphemy: offences against religious principles
• Example: Some schools in Australia have banned the harry potter books as they are
believed to go against the Christian ethos as it contains references to magic and
witchcraft. (Branley, 2012)
•(Branley, 2012)
6. • Obscenity: Often relates to the sexual nature of an item being considered offensive
but also can refer to obscene language or graphic violence.
• Example. In 1973 a plaster of paris replica of Michelangelo's David displayed in a
Myers in Melbourne had it’s genitals covered after complaints(Williams & Dillon,
1993, p. 12)
•(Williams & Dillon, 1993)
7. • Sedition: content that is considered to incite revolt, defamation or action against
the government. Seditious content in written form is called seditious libel. Both
sedition and seditious libel are criminal acts under state law.
• Example: There was a strong focus on censoring seditious material between 1920
and 1950, particularly material supporting communism. (Douglas, 2002)
•(Douglas, 2002)
8. Q&A:
Do you know of a movie, book or game that could be considered obscene,
blasphemous or seditious?
Do you know of a movie, book or game that has been banned?
If a movie, book or game was banned, would you want to read, view or play it more or
less?
9. HOW DOES CENSORSHIP AFFECT
ME?
• A common form that you will be familiar with is the film rating system. This is a form of
censorship as it can restrict certain people for accessing certain material. In this case, it is to
allow people to make choices about what a movie might contain and whether they feel it is
appropriate for themselves or other, younger family members based on a set of official
standards.
• It can restrict which movies and games you can view or purchase by imposing age limits or
banning the legal distribution of them.
10. • It is possible for people to place filters on their internet access which prevents
certain sites from appearing in search results. Parents may set these restrictions to
protect their children from accessing inappropriate content
• Schools may ban certain books because the content is inappropriate for a school
environment
11. WHAT IS CENSORED IN AUSTRALIA?
• From the 1800s the customs department was in charge of policing censorship laws
and could seize and confiscate banned items.
• In Australia there are things that are censored by government regulations and some
that don’t have to be. These regulations come in the form of rating systems.
12. • Things that have rating system
• Movies
• Computer games
• Some publications
• Tv shows
• Music
• Things that aren’t rated
• Books
• Live performances
13. WHAT IS CENSORED IN AUSTRALIA?
• There have been many things that have been censored or banned in Australia. Some
are:
• Newspapers
• Books: brave new world (1932), the anarchists cookbook (1971), American psycho
(1991),
14. • Movies: the Texas chainsaw massacre(1974), Caligula (1980), the human centipede II
(full sequence) (2011), Father’s day (2012)
• Computer games: Blitz: the league (2007), crimecraft (2009), reservoir dogs (2006)
• Guest speakers: Sherri Tenpenny (anti-vaccination campaigner)(2015), Julien Blanc
(self-described pickup artist) (2014)
15. Q&A
• Have you watched a movie above you age rating?
• Do you thing the age ratings are fair?
• do you think governments censoring the internet is a good thing?
16. SELF CENSORSHIP:
• We all use self censorship in our daily lives. We choose what we say to people and
will only say certain things to certain people. You don’t usually tell your parents the
same thing a you would your friends. This is a for of self censorship.
• It is an important thing to keep in mind when using social media. An image or
comment posted on social media can be potentially seen by any number of people.
17. SELF CENSORSHIP:
• Think WWMS (What would mum say?)when posting
• Your not as anonymous as you might think. It is possible to find out private
information about someone from what they post, both publicly and in private chats.
18. Q&A
• Have you ever posted something online and regrated it?
• Do you think censorship has a place in a democracy?
• Would you stop someone from reading something if you disagreed with it?
19. BIBLIOGRAPHY
• Branley, A. (2012, August 24). Harry Potter banned by Christian school. Retrieved January 29, 2017, from The Sydney Morning Herald,
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/harry-potter-banned-by-christian-school-20120824-24q7i.html
• Coleman, P. (1974). Obscenity, blasphemy, sedition: 100 years of censorship in Australia. Sydney: Angus & Robertson Publishers.
• Douglas, R. (2002). Saving Australia from Sedition. Federal Law Review, Vol. 30, 135–175.
• Education Services Australia. 7–10 civics and citizenship. Retrieved January 29, 2017, from ACARA,
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/humanities-and-social-sciences/civics-and-citizenship/curriculum/7-10?layout=1
• Freedom of information, opinion and expression. (2013, December 23). Retrieved January 29, 2017, from Australian Human Rights Commission,
https://www.humanrights.gov.au/freedom-information-opinion-and-expression
• In good faith: Sedition law in Australia – parliament of Australia. (2013, February 19). Retrieved January 29, 2017, from Parliament of Australia,
http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/Publications_Archive/archive/sedition
• Kastner, A., & Allen, R. (2002). Feasting on Forbidden Fruit: How to Talk to Teens about Censorship. Teacher Librarian, Vol. 30(Issue 2), pp18–20.
• Money, L. (2014, March 14). Statues that have lifted and divided Melbourne. Retrieved January 29, 2017, from
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/statues-that-have-lifted-and-divided-melbourne-20140314-34s0c.html
• Moore, N. (2012). The censor’s library. Australia: University of Queensland Press.
• Williams, C., & Dillon, K. (1993). Brought to book: Censorship and school libraries in Australia. Melbourne: D.W. Thorpe Pty.
