Rough draft for my first editorial

The development of new media technologies has always altered the way we think about threats to free speech. In the beginning of the 20th century, civil libertarians in America worried over the danger of the government silencing and controlling free speech. Fear arose when Eugene V. Debs, the Socialist candidate for President, was imprisoned for publicly protesting American involvement in 1919 during World War I. After the Supreme Court started to protect unpopular speakers consistently, critics worried that free speech in America was threatened less by government suppression than by editorial decisions made by mass-media corporations.
Today, the Internet has given anyone access to reach a potential global audience. Internet service providers, such a Google, have the ultimate power to decide what is published and what is not. Google holds 63% of the world’s Internet searches. With this, Google has the power to decide what controversial material may or may not appear on local search engines; like in China.
The country has always had skeptics over the country’s consideration for human rights, and this brings up yet another concern. The most recent noted attempt the Chinese government has done to censor China’s people was during the Obama inauguration. When Obama said, “recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions,” and, "to those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist,” the sound was cut off, leaving Obama’s lip moving and English text scrolling at the bottom of the screen.