Media censorship in China is complex, with few hard and fast rules. Although in recent decades the rules on reporting entertainment and lifestyle news have relaxed, political reporting is still very controlled. This informational material can be used during a lesson on discussing digital globalization and internet censorship.
In days gone by people would say "We built this civilization on the internet." It would be hard to criticize them for making such a remark, without it we would be largely handicapped by the sheer volume of data we need to wade through and edit. There are currently 4 billion users with the bulk now coming from Asia and growing! Without having the internet it becomes a lot harder to stay informed. We literally have access to the entire archive of the Natural History Museum, British Museum, the finest collection of manuscripts, and just about anything else you can possibly imagine. With these tools, we are able to make better decisions simply because we know more about the world we are presently living in. Barriers between people, culture, language, and concepts are being broken down and a new global civilization is emerging. The hope that people can forever be united and peacefully co-operate can happen.
Then why are more and more countries trying to censor, snoop on and in some cases block, delete and rewrite articles on the internet? It sounds counter-intuitive but many governments have decided that this is the best thing to do. But there is a huge consequence for these actions.
Students will read about internet censorship, review a video about internet censorship, review vocabulary surrounding internet censorship, and explore arguments for and against internet censorship.
