Censorship, or blocking certain information, speech or expression from the public eye, is nothing new. It has been used by many a government to control the masses and police collective thought. The intentions behind censorship may not always be nefarious — in World War I, for example, the British implemented a policy of censorship to avoid leaking military secrets. However, when the well-intentioned censorship snowballed and found its way to Canada, it effectively prevented people from questioning the war and engaging in free debate. Canadian soldiers were sent to fight in Europe, where they were injured or killed, and no one was allowed to entertain the option of a non-military solution.
Today, the state of censorship in Canada isn’t as extreme as it was years ago, and it isn’t considered a state-sponsored practice. But it still exists — just more subtly. Prominent Canadian cartoonist Michael de Adder recently created a provocative cartoon that illustrates the drowned bodies of immigrant Martinez Ramirez and his 23-month-old daughter, washed up by the shore next to a golfing Donald Trump. Adder claims that his employer, Brunswick News, fired him over this cartoon. The news outlet denies it. The truth remains unclear as censorship as a motive is difficult to prove.
As history has taught us time and again, censorship isn’t just about words, it’s a powerful tool of destruction. By shutting down multiple viewpoints and clearing the way for specific narratives only, it can brainwash, incite violence and lead to loss of lives. As journalists, it is our role to make sure all sides of the story are told, no matter how complex or difficult.
Michael de Adder is the best editorial cartoonist in Canada. Like cartoons themselves, that’s a subjective statement. His style, which I like, may not be for everyone. His toughness and lack of respect for entrenched power, might not be everyone’s cup of tea. But cartoons are not always meant to be funny. They evoke elements … Read more
(This is adapted from a piece I wrote for Maclean’s magazine earlier this year. The piece is about censorship, but the real topic is the value of news — even when that news is bad. Press censorship was extended after the end of the First World War while the government was trying to crush what … Read more