Article Websites and Censorship Issues

The Internet is flooded with article websites, some are large and many are small. Authors from all background post articles in the hopes they will be read, develop readers as customers and spiral across the Internet via viral marketing. Most of these sites are privately owned by brilliant or start up entrepreneur therefore it stands to reason that the proprietor will exercise some small amount of content control over the articles posted.

Although these sites are privately owned and the owners very serious about their endeavors often there will be censorship at some level. The owner can and will unilaterally make policy and generally the larger of such article sites have owners that do so with much precision in their attempt to remain category killers in the Article website market segment on the Internet. Authors of course appreciate this trust in Article website leadership because it keeps the site professional and keeps it clean and crisp, which propels both website and author to greater heights.

However all too often an author with a chip on their shoulder or a complaint about society in general or an unfair world will post condemnation of another such as a political figure. Sometimes these authors will post negative comments that are racists or attempt to further divide our civilization. At first site it seems we should erase these hurtful and harmful articles, yet in doing so we risk crossing the fine line of censorship for political correctness, not an easy task at all.

Additionally Article website owners must understand the issues of garbage articles and the need to keep the site clean. They are able to do this because it is a private business and private businesses have a choice. All article site owners have things that are important to them and work hard to stand on the high ground of what is right; authors who post their articles applaud such attributes. Yet in appeasing the many it often alienates the few who wish to speak out thru their writing.

It is difficult to have all voices be heard, as we will not appreciate all the perspectives, in fact they may make some very angry. One can see how easily it is to fall into hypocrisy by allowing certain articles and then turning away others. An article site owner has no easy job, as one who speaks of such high morals, must also stand tall with regards to freedom of the press and freedom of speech.

In reviewing history we know that censorship often starts by claiming it is best for the whole. Plato admitted some spontaneous selective prosecution of his perfect republic would be needed. Hitler used it to crush critics and worse, remove them completely from their life experience. Throughout history voices have been squashed to the detriment of the whole or civilization in the name of the majority's best interests.