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Two 2021 graphic novels, Red Lines by Cherian George and Sonny Liew (MIT Press) and Orwell by Pierre ... [+] Christin and Sebastien Verdier (Self Made Hero) both address issues of censorship and free speech.

Fake news, gag rules, NDAs. cancel culture, government crackdowns, algorithmic deceptions: Its as though we live in a world that took George Orwells 1948 classic 1984 as an instruction manual for controlling thought and expression. But because people on all sides feel that they, and only they, are the victims of this chill, its difficult to find a contemporary analysis of censorship and free speech that does not resort to partisanship and finger-pointing. Now two works of graphic nonfiction released in the last month take on this challenge from two different directions, each with great success.

Red Lines: Political Cartoons and the Struggle against Censorship by Cherian George and Sonny Liew, ... [+] published August, 2021 by MIT Press.

Red Lines: Political Cartoons and the Struggle Against Censorship by two Singaporeans, Cherian George and Sonny Liew (MIT Press, August, 2021), takes the direct approach. This is a scholarly and systematic look at efforts to suppress political speech in the form of cartoons, drawings and comic strips historically and globally.

As the book lays out in great detail, cartoons have a unique power to get under the skins of authorities, hypocrites and stuffed shirts in all times and all cultures. Because cartoons are so informal and approachable, efforts to censor them appear especially humorless and heavy-handed, which can redound to the benefit of satirists and provoke a public outcry against the oppressors.

Consequently, the efforts to stifle this kind of speech have grown both sophisticated (through invisible means of influence applied to publishers, distributors and consumers of the content) and coarse (violence, repression, and mass murder in the case of the French satirical publication Charlie Hebdo). Red Lines offers vivid examples from around the world indicating the many ways governments, religious authorities, economic interests and others conspire to stifle dissent and silence cartoonists.

The authors, accustomed to the chilly attitude of their home country of Singapore toward speech that violates the consensus promulgated by the government, view censorship as anything that impedes the free expression of the artists ideas, not just official action. They present examples of subtle intimidation by authorities, commercial censorship (cartoons whisked out of sight by media companies), censorship by technology (either through bloodless algorithms or opaque and unappealable platform policies), the well-meaning censorship of online mobs out to suppress problematic expression, and outright violence and intimidation, among others.

Red Lines s not exactly a graphic novel, although there are sections that are done in comics style. It is more of an extensively illustrated textbook, full of word balloons and narrative blocks, charts, clip art, Fumetti-style photo-collages and other graphic elements along with sequential art. Both authors seem comfortable working in this visual format; the two previously collaborated on the award-winning, best selling graphic novel The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye and Liew has worked at the highest levels of the American comics business.

All of visual design helps, at least partially, to decompress what is a very dense and academic work (it clocks in at 448 pages). It also carries the point across in ways that plain text could not. Red Lines might not be beach reading, but it surely belongs on the syllabus of any media studies class as it sets the standard for discussion of this topic.

Orwell, a graphic novel biography of the famed novelist, by Chrstin and Verdier, published by Self ... [+] Made Hero, July 2021

Orwell, a graphic biography of the famed British author by writer Pierre Christin and artist Sbastian Verdier (English edition from Self Made Hero, July, 2021, following a 2019 French release from Dargaud) arrives at largely the same place but takes a completely different path. Orwell famously predicted a world where censorship was so ingrained in the fabric of government and society that any form of critical thinking was viewed as a crime by the totalitarian regime. It is thanks to him that we have the colorful vocabulary for describing modern censorship and the manipulation of perception: Big Brother, thoughtcrime, Newspeak, Room 101, two-minutes hate, and many others.

If history has flattened Orwell into this collection of his greatest hits, Orwell seeks to reclaim the legacy of the man through a gripping narrative of his life story. Christin and Verdier explore how Orwell, born Eric Blair, synthesized a range of influences and experiences from his upbringing in the twilight years of the British empire, into the clear-eyed perspective on the dangers of totalitarianism that he exhibited in his masterworks Animal Farm and 1984.

Orwells unusual variety of life experiences, from being the clever poor boy in his elite British prep school to a low-level colonial authority in Burma to a destitute vagabond throughout the 20s, helped shape a worldview that was able to step outside the frames of class and ideology typical of the era. The final step in his education was his traumatic tenure as a foreign fighter in the Spanish Civil War in the mid-1930s, where he took up arms to defend the left wing Spanish state from a fascist rebellion led by Francisco Franco. Orwell himself survived the experience but his idealism perished on the battlefield; from then on, he recognized that ideologies that elevated abstract theory over ordinary human experience could only lead to oppression, no matter how lofty their stated goals.

For someone as disdainful of comics as Orwell apparently was (he wrote critically about Superman and the superhero genre in the 1930s), he is extremely well-served by the medium in this book. Verdiers black and white artwork is gorgeously detailed where it needs to be, while telling the story without much fuss and frill. It is especially good at evoking the atmosphere of pre-war Britain and the various physical environments.

Orwell avoids emphasizing its subjects most famous work; 1984 literally does not appear until the next-to-last page, with an extended quote to give the flavor of the book. However the final section, After Orwell, provides broader context and some incidental overlap with Red Lines in its description of how factions have appropriated some of his passion and critique in service of illiberal agendas stemming from various points on the political compass.

For Orwell, dystopia was a world in which words and meaning have parted company, whether through the explicit work of censors or through the insidious processes of self-censorship, euphemism and intimidation. As Orwell and Red Lines make clear, the courage to stand up to those forces is as necessary today as it was in 1948.

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Two New Works Tackle Censorship And The Power Of Speech - Forbes

"Woke Inc." author Vivek Ramaswamy called out Big Tech censorship on behalf of the federal government during an interview on "America's Newsroom" Tuesday, saying "George Orwell is rolling in his grave" over the coordination between the two. Ramaswamy continued by explaining the hybrid relationship is a real threat to individual liberty, just days after a Gold Star mom was temporarily kicked off of Instagram after blaming the Biden administration for her son's death in Afghanistan.

RIGHT TO PRIVACY IS INTACT, BUT AMERICANS MUST FIGHT FOR IT: LARA LOGAN

VIVEK RAMASWAMY: George Orwell is rolling in his grave. We live in a country where you're supposed to be able to criticize the people in power. That is what freedom means, and yet here is a woman whose son died on a humanitarian mission in Kabul and blames the President of the United States and is silenced by Instagram for doing it. Here is what George Orwell didn't imagine- he thought it would be government directly doing the censorship, and what neither our Founding Fathers nor George Orwell ever imagined was that they would be delegating their dirty work to private companies to do through the back door what the government cannot directly do.

It's mutual back-scratching. That's crony capitalism 2.0 where this is a new hybrid of big government and big business that I think is the real threat to individual liberty today. Back in 1980 it might have been big government alone. Today it's not just big government- it's this new hybrid of big government and big business that's far more powerful because each can do what the other cannot.

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE:

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'Woke Inc.' author: George Orwell never imagined this kind of censorship - Fox News

By Jim Slusher

When we think about freedom of speech, it sometimes becomes important to discuss the difference between editing and censorship.

The debate has special relevance for people who bristle at the actions of social media companies like Twitter and Facebook that set standards of conduct for people wanting access to their platforms and that may restrict or block access to users the companies believe violate them. We deal with such issues at times even at our own level as we try to moderate civil and responsible discussions in the comments sections of our stories online.

But the distinction can reach -- and frankly does to some degree almost daily -- to the level of letters to the editor the newspaper publishes. It was, indeed, the centerpiece of a rather unpleasant conversation I had recently with a letter writer who complained that we were "censoring" him by refusing to publish without any changes a letter he submitted. We questioned some matters of fact as he described them, and we were concerned about accusations and condemnations of specific individuals we could not easily confirm. Although he acknowledged that "it's your newspaper and you can print or not print anything you want," he repeatedly condemned us (me, to be specific) for our "censorship" of his views.

I contended, and contend here, that we were not "censoring" him. We were insisting that he edit his writing to conform to certain minimum levels of civility and precision. We were willing to publish the letter if edited reasonably, but not in its present form. This may seem much like arm wrestling over semantics, but it's an important distinction. Certainly, the writer could find another outlet for expressing his ideas if he did not like the editing we required. We just felt it would not be responsible for us to present the letter in our publication. Is that censorship or editing? Perhaps it depends on your frame of reference.

And here I must add that regular readers of our letters to the editor will note that our standards of civility and precision are decidedly lenient. We want to allow a generally free and open conversation about issues that energize people in our communities, so we are very generous in what we permit. We do, however, insist on some levels of decorum and verifiability.

I have hanging in my office a framed poster of an Ernest Hemingway quote I find fundamental to good writing of any kind. "Write drunk," it declares in large type enclosed in a prominent dark circle. Then, added pointedly below, it says simply "edit sober."

It is probably useful -- not to mention cathartic -- for us to let our ideas flow with intemperate fervor on topics about which we care passionately. But once we have poured all that sputum and bile onto the page, it behooves us all to return to our thoughts with a little sober reflection to spruce up or clear away the messy parts.

When it comes to writing, which is a very intimate activity, we may not always be able to recognize objectionable elements in our own work. This I know from personal experience. But we should not assume that those who come after us to do the cleaning are out to censor or repress our ideas. Often, they just want to edit them to make them clearer and, well, more palatable for others to read.

jslusher@dailyherald.com

Link:
On editing, censorship and sobriety in writing - Chicago Daily Herald

Independent cross-border journalism isnt a crime, it builds on core democratic rights for freedom of the media, says Thomas Nilsen.

Theeditor in February 2019 saw his independent online newspaperbeing blocked in Russia following a crack-down by Roskomnadzor, the Russian media regulating authority. It was a major blow to the small northernmedia that since its launch in 2002 haspublished in both English and Russian.

The blocking followed the publishing of an article about Dan Eriksson an indigenous Smi man who managed to accept his homosexual orientation and overcome psychological crisis. Roskomnazor argues that the story propagates suicide.

The repressive decision was in July 2019 appealed in court. After a loss, a new appeal was filed and subsequently rejected by the Moscow City Court in January 2020. In June 2021, the case was ultimately rejected by the Russian Supreme Court.

The case Barents Observer vs Roskomnadzor has been supported by Memorial, the Anti-Discrimination Center based in the Netherlands. It is lawyer Maksim Olenichev that isfollowingup the case.

The Barents Observer vs Roskomnadzor is now taken to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

After all opportunities to achieve justice in Russia were exhausted, in August 2021, the complaint to the European Court of Human Rights was filed, ADC Memorial says in a statement.

The case is applied on the violation of Article 10 of the European Convention (freedom of the media, expression, dissemination of information) and Article 13 in conjunction with Article 10 (the right to an effective remedy).

According to ADC Memorial, the accusationsabout propaganda of suicide in the disputed article about Dan Eriksson are completely absurd.

Dan Eriksson is an activist of the organization Suicide zero, he helps other people to overcome suicidal tendencies of suicide and find the will to live.

The case against the Barents Observer directly relates to the current press freedom situation in Russia, the Center argues.

The case of the Barents Observer shows many aspects of the problem of discrimination including violations of the rights of indigenous peoples, persecution of LGBTI+, restriction of the right to freedom of speech. The opportunity to freely publish serious materials on socially sensitive issues is especially important today, when censorship de facto is applied in the Russian media sphere, and many independent journalists are expelled from their profession due to the repressive legislation on foreign agents. At the same time, the state bodiesdo not respondproperly to the open expression of xenophobia and racism in the media space and provoke hate crimes in real life, the ADC Memorial writes.

The Barents Observer is a journalist-owned newspaper that comprehensively covers development in Russian society, politics and economy. It is based in the Norwegian border town of Kirkenes, close to the Russian Kola Peninsula.

Russian readers constitute a key target audience, explainsEditor Thomas Nilsen.

Russia has been a major part of our news reporting for the last two decades. We have thousands of readers in the northern regions, as well as in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Free access to a news-online shouldnt be blocked by repressive authorities, he underlines.

The small media organization does not intend to give in to pressure from Russian regulators.

Reporting from the north, in English and Russian language, includes news articles critical to authorities. Stamping out critical voices like NGOs, opposition politicians or activists isnt an alternative for us in the Barents Observer. Instead we fight Russian authorities censorship in court, Nilsen says.

Those who seek to undermine the free press must never prevail.

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Barents Observer takes case against Russian censorship to European Court of Human Rights - The Independent Barents Observer

Bloomberg Quicktake: Now published this video item, entitled Russian Opposition Protesters Rally Against Media Censorship below is their description.

Russian opposition candidates rallied in Moscow against a law that labels certain media organizations foreign agents.

Critics see the label as a form of pressure on free media ahead of the upcoming elections.

Russia blocked access to six virtual private networks, including some of the worlds most popular such services, as the government escalates its efforts to rein in the internet.

NordVPN and Express VPN were among the networks blocked for allowing access to prohibited information and resources, communications watchdog Roskomnadzor said in a statement Friday. These include material Russian authorities have deemed as extremist as well as what the regulator said was information relating to narcotics and child pornography.

Russia has ramped up its attempts to control access to information in the run-up to parliamentary elections this month, deeming numerous independent media groups as foreign agents subject to punitive restrictions and regularly fining international platforms including Alphabet Inc.s Google and Facebook Inc. for failing to remove content flagged as illegal.

VPNs help circumvent restrictions on internet traffic and provide users with anonymity and greater security. Roskomnadzor said it has created a white list for software and apps that use VPNs for technical reasons that will be allowed to continue.

Russia already has a long list of websites, messaging apps, and other digital services that are blacklisted, as well as a series of laws that threaten the prosecution of bloggers and allow authorities to ban websites without a court order, NordVPN said in an e-mailed statement. Plans to block VPNs are just another move to strengthen governmental control over online communications.

NordVPN destroyed its servers in Russia after the government sought access in 2019 and will continue to offer its products through available channels, the statement said. Express VPN did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

The move comes amid an increasingly harsh crackdown on opposition that began with the arrest of President Vladimir Putins most vocal critic, Alexey Navalny, early this year. Since Navalnys detention, groups affiliated with him have been labeled extremist and most of his top aides have fled the country amid the threat of criminal prosecution.

Pressure on foreign technology companies has also increased. Twitter Inc. was hit with measures that made it slow to load for failing to delete content. Roskomnadzor warned Google and Apple Inc. they may be regarded as interfering with the election process if they dont remove an app started by Navalny, state-owned Tass reported this week, citing the watchdog.

Russias technical capabilities have improved since it sought to block the Telegram messaging platform several years ago over failure to share encryption information. It was unable to enforce the ban and ultimately backed down. But following a 2019 law, authorities have upgraded systems they say would allow Russia to completely cut itself off from the internet.

Got a comment? Leave your thoughts in the comments section, below. Please note comments are moderated before publication.

Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California. It is considered one of the Big Tech technology companies, alongside Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Facebook.

Well known products and services from the brand include the iPad tablet computer, AirPods wireless earbuds, iOS, iTunes, the Safari web browser, Apple Music, iCloud and Apple Pay.

Apple was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne in April 1976. Apple went public in 1980. In August 2018, Apple became the first publicly traded U.S. company to be valued at over $1 trillion and just two years later in August 2020 became the first $2 trillion U.S. company.

The company employs 137,000 full-time employees and maintains 510 retail stores in 25 countries as of 2020.

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Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country located in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east, and from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea in the south.

Russia spans more than one-eighth of the Earths inhabited land area, stretching eleven time zones, and bordering 16 sovereign nations. Moscow is the countrys capital.

The Soviet Union was dissolved in 1991 and since 1993 Russia been governed as a federal semi-presidential republic. Russia is a major great power, with the worlds second-most powerful military, and the fourth-highest military expenditure. As a recognised nuclear-weapon state, the country possesses the worlds largest stockpile of nuclear weapons.

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Russian Opposition Protesters Rally Against Media Censorship - The Global Herald - The Global Herald