Authoritarian Media: Vietnam
Analyzing authoritarian media constitutes how media is monitored profusely by the government or just one particular dictator ruling over the country. Authoritarian media refers to a form of authoritarianism.
Authoritarianism, principle of blind submission to authority, as opposed to individual freedom of thought and action. In government, authoritarianism denotes any political system that concentrates power in the hands of a leader or a small elite that is not constitutionally responsible to the body of the people. Authoritarian leaders often exercise power arbitrarily and without regard to existing bodies of law, and they usually cannot be replaced by citizens choosing freely among various competitors in elections (Britannica). Almost in all terms of authoritarianism, the control of free speech or press is limited. In one's case, disagreeing with a country's government or criticism of it is prohibited and can lead to legal action or sabotage if someone decides to publish content like that on the media.
Many countries today or in the past practiced authoritarian types of government. The country I will be analyzing today that still somewhat carries the belief of authoritarianism is Vietnam. Vietnam is a country in Southeast Asia and the easternmost country on the Indochinese Peninsula. With an estimated 96.2 million inhabitants as of 2019, it is the 15th most populous country in the world. Vietnam shares its land borders with China to the north, and Laos and Cambodia to the west. It shares its maritime borders with Thailand through the Gulf of Thailand, and the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia through the South China Sea. Its capital city is Hanoi, and its most populous city is Ho Chi Minh City, also known by its former name of Saigon (Vietnam Wiki).
Censorship in Vietnam is pervasive and is implemented by the Communist Party of Vietnam in relation to all kinds of media – the press, literature, works of art, music, television and the Internet. In its 2018 World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders ranked Vietnam as 175 out of 180 countries. Similarly, Freedom House’s 2017 Freedom on the Net report classifies Vietnam as "not free" in relation to the Internet, with significant obstacles to access, limits on content and violations of user rights. Vietnam's latest Constitution, adopted in 2013, is the "fundamental and supreme law" of the country. A number of civil and political rights are enshrined within it, such as Article 25, which provides that: "The citizen shall enjoy the right to freedom of opinion and speech, freedom of the press, of access to information, to assemble, form associations and hold demonstrations. The practice of these rights shall be covered by the law." (Vietnam Censorship). Vietnam has been known to trail behind China's authority when it comes to media censorship. Media censorship in Vietnam is ranked in top 10 countries as of now. Any type of media coverage has to be approved by the Community Party of Vietnam which is the government. Censorship in Vietnam can get so bad that journalists and reporters can be jailed or fined for their opinions. Earlier this year, the Vietnam government pushed Facebook to block or censor posts deemed in violation with the government's regulations. This goes on to show how much power and influence Vietnam has over their country. For them to even pressure Facebook into censoring things shows how incredibly authoritarian they are. Many say that Vietnam and China are one in the same when it comes to running their country. The law surrounding the media can be heavily lethal. Just two years ago today, the Vietnam government suspended a popular Vietnam news website for its depictions of entertainment news.
Vietnam’s suspension of a popular news website known for hard-hitting stories is the latest move in a burgeoning effort to limit expression that rattles the image-conscious Communist leadership, experts say (Vietnam News).The government felt as the website was spreading "fake news" and reporting criticism of the Vietnam government. Tuoi Tre was last in the works in 2018 and is now longer reachable. Which is why some media coverage is not analyzed in Vietnam as to the United States. Taking a look at the media as far as news in Vietnam and the United States there's a slight difference. Media coverage in Vietnam tends to take the route of political news and nothing controversial. Whereas the United States covers just about everything. Reviewing a Vietnam source and American source, the only similarities that lie with news coverage is handled with politics. With the risk of facing jail time or suspension, news outlets in Vietnam really don't cover entertainment or breaking news. News sources in Vietnam have be followed according to government. Recent news that both Vietnam and United States sources cover was the Typhoon that gravely in Vietnam. Both news sources from New York Times and Nhan Dan report this landslide as one of the biggest storms to hit in Vietnam. If news sources in Vietnam were to report on the government it would have to be positive whereas in the United States you will not be persecuted if you speak ill of the government. In this sense, Vietnam government removes all correlation to freedom of speech and press. They want everything to appear good on the outside looking in. You never really can tell what is going on behind closed doors. As you can see, Vietnam is very strict on their censorship of the media when compared to the U.S. They value their government more than giving their citizens freedom of speech and freedom of press. They care more for themselves and their personal agenda than what the public wants to happen.
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