Media blackout
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Media blackout refers to the censorship of news related to a certain topic, for any of a number of reasons. A media blackout may be voluntary, or may in some countries be forced by a government or state. The latter case has been controversial, as some regard it as a human rights violation and repression of the freedom of speech. Press blackout is a similar phrase, but refers specifically to printed media.
Some examples of media blackout would include the media bans of southern Japan during the droppings of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the lack of independent media correspondence from Iraq during the Persian Gulf War, and the media blackout in the city of Fallujah when United States forces invaded the city.
The most commonly known version of a media blackout is the voluntary or legally enforceable (depending on jurisdiction) reporting convention which holds that the name of a rape or sexual assault victim (the accuser) is not to be published without that person's consent.
A media blackout was used during the 2005 New York City transit strike, to allow for more effective contract negotiation between the two sides of the dispute. Most typically, the more freedom of the press that any particular country has, and the more sensational the story, the more likely it is that at least one news organization will ignore the "blackout" and run the story.
