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The Importance Of Freedom Of Speech

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The first Amendment, one of ten fundamental rights we have as American citizens. It is the right to express any opinion without censorship or restraints. It is a travesty of freedom of speech. A misnomer that falsely empowers citizens with the belief that their opinion and beliefs can be verbalized and listened to without penalty.
Where censorship exists, freedom of speech cannot. This holds true in companies, schools, and media. According to the Oxford dictionary, censorship is "the suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security".
For speech to be free, there must not be restraints; however, restraints are sometimes necessary to protect citizens. In cases where the material advertised may pose a threat to the heath of citizens, the government may come in and censor the ad. An example given by Stephanie Reid in her article on Advertising Censorship Laws in America in The Arizona Republic daily newspaper, "cigarette ads that target little kids by using cartoon characters can be restricted on the basis that they might lure children into buying a product that will harm their health"(Reid). Although government interference in this case benefits the people and is put in place to protect citizens, it is still restricting the freedom of speech of tobacco companies.
Companies also have to worry about what they say or show in their ads and commercials because it could have a

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