(Solution) Media Censorship - Essay

Running head: MEDIA CENSORSHIP
Media Censorship
Name of the University
Name of the Student
Author note

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MEDIA CENSORSHIP
Censorship of the media is nothing new in the modern world. Abbasi and Al-Sharqi
(2015) argue that contemporary governments apply the technique to censorship with a view to
hide certain information from the public eye that could risk their authority. The authors further
point out that the restriction imposed by governments on the use of internet in the name of useful
censorship is nothing but a tactic to shut their opposition. The given essay provides a
comparative analysis of media censorship in the UK and UAE.
The essay begins with an attempt to analyze the similarities and differences of internet
censorship in the two countries. The United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates both are liberal
monarchial confederations. While the UK is a developed nation, UAE is a rapidly developing
state with immense opportunities. The new media, which is the internet in both countries, is
accessed by almost entire population. However, both countries have witnessed a decline in the
freedom on the net as per the reports published in Freedom House. According to the report, UAE
scored 69 whereas UK scored 24, in a scale of zero to hundred. These statistics also indicate a
contrast between internet censorship in the UAE and the UK (Freedomhouse.org 2018). It shows
that UK has a better status when it comes to freedom of the net than UAE. Another report
published by Freedom House revealed that in 2017, the UAE government blocked contents on
the web that had issues related to the crisis between Qatar and other countries in the Middle East.
In contrast to it, no reports of blocking sites were registered in the UK (Freedomhouse.org 2018).
This establishes the fact that internet censorship is stricter in UAE than in UK.
This segment explores news censorship in both countries. In this regard, the differences
are more glaring between the two countries than the similarities. Most of the news agencies are
controlled by the government in UAE. In addition, the government funds several media houses.
Reporters Without Borders has placed the UAE at 118 out of 180 countries in the world with

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MEDIA CENSORSHIP
least freedom of the press and UK being placed at 40 (RSF.org 2018). This shows that the press
in UK enjoys more freedom than it does in the UAE. Furthermore, International Campaign for
Freedom in UAE (ICFUAE) states that despite being designated as an international media hub,
the media suffers from “highly repressive” rules and regulations. Further, it states that television
broadcasting in the country also has strict restrictions as most of the channels are regulated
directly or indirectly by the government (Icfuae.org.uk 2018). The case is different in the UK.
Although certain laws have been passed by the government in recent years to curb press
freedom, the press there enjoys relatively better environment than UAE. However, as per the
views of the Committee to Protect Journalists, Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013
passed by the UK government might curb press freedom. The press community in the country is
staging numerous protests against the law (CPJ.org 2018). These facts reveal that press freedom
is not completely enjoyed either by UK or by UAE. It is but imperative to mention that UAE lags
far behind when it comes to electronic and print media regulations than UK.
In the final segment, the arts and entertainment media censorship in the two countries
shall be examined. In this section too, UAE and UK have more differences than similarities. One
of the most visible differences is the restrictions imposed upon the distributors regarding the
content of any movie. In an article published in Thegazelle.org (2018), it was found that the art
and media industry had to follow rigorous regulations from the government. In addition, the
article also stated that censorship was so severe in the country that even students pursuing media
as a major subject were not allowed to show their creations in public without government
permission. As per the reports of Freemuse.org (2018), the authorities in UAE banned numerous
arts pieces, short films and feature films because they felt that it was against a particular sect or
the royal family. In contrast to this, arts and media industry in UK enjoys a great freedom.