Censorship News

 
Censor This! Provocative CBC Radio Series Investigates Censorship in News, Arts And Science
Series airs Feb. 18 to 24 on 15 CBC Radio One and CBC Radio Two programs

CBC Radio presents CENSOR THIS!, a unique, comprehensive documentary series that shines a light on the worldwide quest for censor-free expression in news, arts and science. For the first time, CBC Radio has enlisted more than 15 radio programs on CBC Radio One and CBC Radio Two to highlight the importance of this issue with listeners during the weeklong series, airing Sunday, Feb. 18 through Saturday, Feb. 24.

Censorship and its impact on society has been documented throughout history and today it continues to restrict the flow of information to the public, muffling expression through a wide range of communication mediums, from music and literature, to science and investigative reporting.

"Censorship affects everyone-whether you are a musician, writer, scientist, journalist or the public these people are trying to reach," says Ann MacKeigan, executive producer, CBC Radio. "Because censorship crosses over many disciplines and its impact resonates powerfully in so many different directions, we realized it was an opportunity as a public broadcaster to leverage the wide scope of CBC Radio's programming-our arts, science and investigative reporting."

CENSOR THIS! is truly global in scope, as programs look at censorship in Canada and beyond. CBC foreign correspondents file reports on the issue throughout the week from locations as diverse as Bali, Syria, South Africa and Thailand. In Western culture, freedom of expression is often taken for granted and listeners may be surprised and unaware of the extent to which individuals around the world have endured persecution to convey their message.

The cornerstone of the series is a one-hour documentary, also titled CENSOR THIS!, which explores music as an outlet for creative and political expression, and the conflict that arises between musicians and their censors. It airs on CBC Radio One, Thursday, Feb. 22 at 8 p.m. (8:30 p.m. NT), and will be re-broadcast on CBC Radio Two on March 3 to mark the International Day of Music and Censorship.

Complete programming information for CENSOR THIS! is available at: www.cbc.ca/censorthis.

Highlights include:

CBC Radio One - WRITERS AND COMPANY, Sunday, Feb. 18 at 3 p.m. ET/AT (5 p.m.
PT/MT/CT; 3:30 p.m. NT)
Eleanor Wachtel interviews Shahryar Mandanipour, an Iranian novelist, essayist and editor who has been forbidden to publish his works in Iran since 1992.

CBC Radio One - THE CURRENT, Monday, Feb. 19 at 8:30 a.m. (9 a.m. NT)
Off the Shelves, a documentary by CBC producer Arif Noorani, explores the recent debate about whether Deborah Ellis' book Three Wishes, about children of the war-torn Middle East, belongs in public school libraries.

CBC Radio One - DISPATCHES, Thursday, Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m. (8 p.m. NT)
A special edition with reports from CBC News Foreign correspondents. Connie Watson reports on the 'Colombianization' of Mexico and Margaret Evans visits Syria to report on the clamp down on blogging.

CBC Radio Two - IN PERFORMANCE, Thursday, Feb. 22 at 8 p.m. (8:30 p.m. NT)
Host Andrew Craig examines censorship through time in classical music. From Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, artists from the Royal Conservatory of Music present Music in Exile, featuring works from composers who removed themselves from musical life in Nazi Europe.

CBC Radio Two - THE WORLD IN PERFORMANCE, Friday, Feb. 23 at 8 p.m. (8:30
p.m. NT)
Hear separate concerts from both Oliver Mtukuzdi, who has lived under heavy censorship in Zimbabwe, and Vusi Mahlasela, who fought censors in apartheid South Africa.

CBC Radio One - QUIRKS AND QUARKS, Saturday, Feb. 24 at 12 p.m. (12:30 p.m.
NT)
Host Bob McDonald investigates the many censorship issues facing the scientific community in the United States, including speech censorship by U.S. government agencies; removing scientists from government panels; limiting or denying funding to scientists; rejecting scientific conclusions; and revising or rewriting scientific reports.

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For more information, please contact:
Erin O'Reilly
Media Profile, Toronto (416) 504-8464
erin@mediaprofile.com
February 7, 2007