One of the most powerful movements of the 21st century is the ability the internet has given to every person to express themselves through art, music, and the spoken word. The ability every citizen has now to create a blog or website and give themselves a voice is both impressive and at times frightening. The advent of the digital age has greatly shaken the notion of traditional media. Almost all traditional news sources have an internet presence now, and through that internet presence, the readership themselves are becoming an active part of the discussion.
This, of course, can lead to abuses. One such abuse occurred earlier this year when Greg Gerratana misused State Computers to attack Mayor Stewart and his family. However, that is not a reason to close down these avenues for discussion and communication. Both the Democratic Town Committee’s blog and Tim O’Brien do not agree.
In a response to this post, a reader made a comment asking what exactly had been said about Tim O’Brien and the rest of the candidates that was not factual. This comment was never allowed to see the light of the day. In a more insulting move, Tim O’Brien actually deleted comments from this post and this post, merely because the views expressed were ones criticizing his policies and statements. O’Brien has gone even further and closed his community news blog to the public, according to Frank Smith, who has published an editorial on the matter here.
It is mystifying why Candidate O’Brien would create a blog entitled “New Britain Community News” and then make it readable by invitation only. It would seem to defeat the point of having a “Community News” site. Attempts to log in while uninvited result in this message: “It doesn’t look like you have been invited to read this blog. If you think this is a mistake, you might want to contact the blog author and request an invitation.”
While there may be other reasons for their actions, it seems as if Tim O’Brien and the DTC wish to stop all discussion and thought except that which they approve of. When the political process is mired in censorship and an unwillingness to allow for multiple viewpoints, then we create a roadblock to progress. The political process in this country must be based on civil discourse without fear of censorship, out of that discourse comes collaboration and progress. Perhaps Candidate O’Brien and Mr. McNamara will understand this if the voters turn out in force and support the ticket that is looking for new ideas and collaboration across party lines.
