Yahoo Reluctantly Takes A Stand

A fact that many journalists miss is that communicating something gives that thing power. If you communicate something enough it will gain a life all of it's own. 

An example is the Rodney King Riots in Los Angeles a few years ago (I was stuck in the middle of these). A fight broke out on a street corner, and before long it had spread all the city, eventually requiring the governor to call out the National Guard to restore the peace.

What really happened here? In my opinion, we had a crisis which was created by the news. If the fight had not been covered live on television in the manner under which it had been reported, there may not have been any riots at all. Certainly they would not have spread as quickly and lasted as long...

Another great example is your average terrorist or hijacker. These people and groups are actually quite weak (otherwise they would fight in the open instead of in the shadows) and need media attention in order to survive and spread.

Following this line of reasoning, the reporter who prints a story and justifies it by saying, "I only report the news", is misguided at best, and evil at worst. He is not just reporting the news ... he is granting power to whatever he is reporting on and he must use that power wisely.

That's why I was very happy when Yahoo (however reluctantly) announced it will "no longer allow items that are associated with groups which promote or glorify hatred and violence, to be listed on any of Yahoo's commerce properties." 

Freedom of speech advocates are up in arms over this (of course) as Yahoo was strongly pressured by the French government. However, this is a victory for thinking and peaceful people everywhere. There is no need in our society to grant power to hate groups and violence mongers. And there certainly is no need to give them an outlet for their wares.

With the right of Freedom of Speech comes a grave responsibility ... the freedom to choose NOT to speak. Sometimes what you don't say (and what you don't allow to be said) can be far more powerful than what you say. Of course, governments have no business telling the people that they govern (or the media) what they can and cannot say ... it is up to the people to decide what they do not want to say.