"Censorship is flattery"

I just read an interesting piece on free speech online by Ethan Zuckerman at My heart’s in Accra. He reasons that the fact that different non-democratic governments try to restrict citizen media is in fact the greatest proof of its importance.

If governments are bothering to block citizen media, it’s because they the power and threat of this new media. After all, censorship is the sincerest form of flattery when you’re an anti-government activist.

Also read Ann Condi’s essay about the lack of interest in democracy among her colleagues in China, and Andrew Lih’s response on the similar lack of interest in the States, both discussed in Zucherman’s post and around the media blogging world.

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