Group Project

Blogging and Censorship / Freespeech

A Brief Introduction

What Is "Blogging"?

Though the exact definition of a "blog" is blurry, there are a few characteristics among blogs we have examined in class that seem consistent. It is fair to say that blogs are written in chronological order, but appear in reverse chronological order; that blogs are tools of self expression and self publication; and that blogs are voices of the local and international "bigger conversation" on the web. Blogs vary widely in topics, including blogs on things such as: food and drink, entertainment, political issues, personal stories, sports, and much more.

Now, what is Censorship? And what is Free Speech?

Censorship,  defined by the Oxford English Dictionary is the act of "official supervision", or "censoring". The OED defines "censor" as "the controlling of news"  by officials. For the sake of this study, we will be examining how the removal and witholding of information from the public plays out in the online world of blogging. We will examine what kinds of things (locally and internationally) are censored, and who are the people (the controlling bodies) who decide what information is to be censored through blogging.

Free Speech is essentially the opposite of Censorship, and is commonly known as the concept of being able to express yourself freely without the restrictions of censorship. In this project, we will examine to what extent free speech exists in the different parts of the blogging realm.

To make our studies more clear, we have further divided the category of Blogging and Censorship/Free Speech into four categories. Within these four categories, we will consider many aspects of censorship and free speech as applicable to various blogs. The four categories are:

1. Blogging and Censorship and the GOVERNMENT 
2. Blogging and Censorship and the WORKPLACE
3. Blogging and Censorship and RELIGION
4. Blogging and Censorship and HATE SPEECH