Media Suppression and Failed Democracies

Democratic governments do not interfere with what people say or write provided they do not break constitutional laws. And this is the beauty of democracy, people can exercise their freedoms anytime when they feel like expressing their opinion or to speak up for their or others’ rights if they contact any kind of injustice, violence, fear or threats.

But for media persons things are different from ordinary. They do not necessarily have to feel like they need to say something or wait for any specific situation to raise voice. They do it every day; investigate, research and report those missing parts of puzzle that give meanings to stories –needless to say, sometimes they themselves turn into stories in the process. And this happens when media is censored, suppressed and those few journalists trying hard to uncover truths are considered biggest threat for state narratives and mafias.

In societies where truths are deliberately hidden and fabricated narratives are propagated through controlled school curriculum, censored television programs and social media and where journalists are slain no matter where they are, for practicing their very right to speak up and write the truth, ordinary citizens develop into nothing but nurturers of unaware societies, simply turning into mass crowds with no proper direction.

And when few from these mass crowds dare to read something out of curriculum, follow rare academics, scholars, journalists and activists, are soon brought under spotlight and then the dark trails begin without a court, a lawyer or a judge. They are judged, blamed and then oppressed in every possible way.

For journalists, this can go into another extreme level. They pay harder costs for the truths they uncover. They are traced wherever they go, their loved ones never live in peace and they themselves die every day under fear and threats before they are actually slain.

This is not how democracies are supposed to be, but failed democracies are, that can hardly ensure safety of their own citizens at home and out in the world, as they are too busy plundering national resources, propagating fabricated narratives, generating hatred for opposing opinions, investing into extreme level obedience and suppressing their own sons and daughters.