Is Government Surveillance Censoring Journalism?
A survey by writers’ organization PEN American Center is shedding light on how recent revelations regarding the extent of government surveillance of email and phone records may have a chilling effect on journalism as we know it: Writers are not only deeply concerned about pervasive government surveillance, but are also engaging in self-censorship as a result.
More than a quarter of those surveyed said they have avoided, or are seriously considering avoiding, controversial topics in their work, while 28% said they had curtailed or avoided activities on social media; 24% steered clear of certain topics in phone calls or email; and 16% reported that they had avoided writing or speaking on a particular topic.