Human Rights Council (UNHRC)

Media Censorship and Ethics 

Approximate Size: 50 single delegate delegations 

Within this committee, we will be focusing on the pressing issue of media censorship and misinformation around the world, which comes with a storm of controversy surrounding it. Governments and religions alike have turned to censorship as a means of controlling civilians-- before the internet, this took the form of banning certain books or texts from being printed, forbidding certain types of art, and punishing those who dared to speak out against their government. In modern times, censorship can be anything from filtering or blocking unwanted content online to motoring and penalizing users who access certain content or sites. This is justified through claims that the censorship of speech, books, music, films, the press, radio, television, and the internet is a way to protect national security, to control obscenity, pornography, and hate speech, and to protect children or other vulnerable groups. But where do we draw the line? Are people free to spread false information? To post racial slurs online? The crux of the issue: How can we protect free speech while simultaneously fighting hate speech & misinformation?