The idea that censorship is un-American goes back a long way. As anyone who has ever lived under an exceedingly oppressive regime where the news media was subject to censorship or forces of intimidation might tell you provided that they were lucky enough to survive the experience, personal liberties have a worth of their own. There really isn't an easy way to put a price tag on them. Being free to seek out as well as broadcast alternative sources of information allows people to make their own individual choices when deciding what to believe. Shortwave radio in the United States has had a history of enabling listeners to consume a wide variety of information, even if some of it undoubtedly has been complete nonsense.Due to the nature of shortwave radio programming itself, the listener is required to use his or her own imagination to some extent when picturing the events or stories depicted in audio. Therefore, it is imperative that listeners have an understanding of the various ways in which shortwave radio can be used as a form of media. Distinguishing between news and efforts intended to be utilized as psychological operations or state sponsored propaganda in order to elicit an intended outcome is an ongoing challenge for many shortwave radio listeners.
Because of the ability to broadcast shortwave radio waves across national borders and into even the farthest reaches of civilization, the medium has been used at times in clandestine attempts aimed at subverting or undermining the actions of local governments. Some historic examples of the use of clandestine shortwave radio operations include Radio Rebelde which dates back to the Cuban Revolution and La voz de Liberacion which has been cited as an integral part of the 1954 Guatamalen coup d'etat. More recent and ongoing clandestine shortwave radio operations which are openly written about include SW Radio Africa. The station has been known to target audiences inside Zimbabwe and allegedly originates in London but at times has been said to have transmitter sites of unknown origin.
Lately in the United States there have been a lot of accusations aimed at the new administration, which only took power less than a year ago now. Among them, we have seen mainstream press outlets kick around the idea of exactly what determines the makeup of a legitimate "news" outlet. This played out recently as Rupert Murdoch's Fox News Channel allegedly engaged in a quarrel with the White House over access to direct reporting. All of the subsequent bantering that ensued following the episode might have been good for giving the network's ratings a boost and, perhaps even keeping the television channel's regular viewers feeling as though they are somehow privileged to be able to get their information from such a freedom loving media outlet.
Many large news and entertainment media outlets cater to specific segments of populations by broadcasting or publishing information which reaches out to specific niches of the general population. Consumers of media who fit into the demographics of a specific target audience should realize that most broadcast outlets are simply businesses which make their bread and butter by catering to the particular tastes of their audience. As Orson Welles 1938 Halloween broadcast of War of the Worlds has shown, broadcast journalists have been known to play on the fears of American audiences from time to time. Therefore, it seems that an appreciation for understanding the power of media in our lives is fully warranted along with a healthy dose of skepticism.
No matter if a part of the mainstream world of streaming internet, television and radio or the more obscure world of shortwave radio, it is a pretty safe bet that many networks or broadcasters are likely more concerned about keeping audiences interested and advertising revenue coming in than pretty much anything else, liberty included. On the other hand, as history has clearly documented with the outcomes enabled through the use of clandestine shortwave broadcasts, the propagation of alternative agendas via the airwaves is definitely a force to be reckoned with. The legal aspects of shortwave pirate radio broadcasting aside, it is no wonder that some powers would resort to signal jamming as a means of censorship.
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