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George Orwell's 1984: Government Censorship

637 Words3 Pages

News can spread rapidly in a world of 8 billion people and hundreds of messaging, communications, and social media platforms. In George Orwell’s 1984, readers can see the effects of complete government censorship from books to the news. Whether it's from the government or private entities, censorship and misinformation exist. The First Amendment of the Constitution states that government agencies and officials are forbidden from restricting information based on viewpoint or content. However, the First Amendment only addresses government censorship, so private companies that are not controlled by the government can censor speech and information that they consider harmful and misleading. Private companies do have the right to enforce their own policies, even if that does include censorship. Private companies also have a responsibility to protect their consumers from harmful and misleading information. Misinformation can be dangerous and many platforms like Instagram and Facebook have systems that censor and remove content that goes against the company's policies. …show more content…

In 1984’s society, the government has complete control over the media, history, books, and every piece of information. Winston, the main character, works in the Ministry of Truth, which is a government agency that alters information to make the government constantly right even if that means misleading their citizens. “The best books…are those that tell you what you already know ” (Orwell 200). This quote connects to the 1984 government because they were always changing history, news, and any information that proved them wrong, but that the best books were the ones that proved your memory right and didn’t contradict what you already

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