Internet: freedom of speech

Couple of days ago we have reported about Polish Ombudsman outraged with the language used in Internet forums. His appeal has started a national discussion that has become very interesting.

One of the most important parts of it was an interview given by two major Polish internet portals admins to Jacek Żakowski from TOK FM.

Both professionals are in their early thirties and have spoken on behalf of their own and younger generations. During the interview they said: “We are not entitled to decide what is offensive and what is not. If somebody feels offended, he can inform us and we take necessary steps to investigate this matter”. This shows the attitude of a young generation now that has no real authorities and feels free to speak its mind. They also added that vulgar language of the Internet can be also heard on the streets as well as in music nowadays.

This just shows that media have changed. They do not “rise the standards” anymore, as they are co-created by the society, not only by professional journalists. They are the mirror of the society. However older generation, which is used to the old good and “clean” media can have different thoughts about this process and disagree with those inevitable changes.