“We do not need a censorship of the press. We have a censorship by the press.” — G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy
In order to have censorship, you must have a censor. Without someone or something determining what is allowed and what is not, you cannot have censorship. The same can be said for blasphemy laws. What standard determines what cannot be said? In a sense, censorship and blasphemy laws are inescapable. Someone or something will draw the line somewhere. Things that try to go beyond that line will be hindered or altogether made to halt. The only question is what is that line and says who? There will be a standard and someone will determine it.
For too long, the media have sought to be the standard. The storytellers imagined they were authors and instead of relaying the news, they determined the narrative. Instead of reporting what happened, they tried to write what should happen. They stopped being objective by objecting to the reality they did not prefer.
"Journalism and conjuring will always be incompatible... The two trades rest on opposite principles. The whole point of being a conjurer is that you won't explain a thing that has happened; the whole point of being a journalist is that you do explain a thing that hasn't happened." — G.K. Chesterton, Magic: A Fantastic Comedy
Magicians keep the real thing secret and give you a show. Journalists give you a show by keeping everything else quiet. Magicians invent new tricks. Journalists invent the news.
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