During my recent presentation at Auckland University in New Zealand I argued that in a way the Western media are more censored and controlled than anywhere else in the world. My argument was simple: almost all media organizations in Europe and the United States are owned by large business conglomerates, so it is natural that they would never offer their pages and airtime for in-depth criticism of the system that controls them.

Linguist, philosopher and social activist Noam Chomsky, a man often described even by the Western media as one of the greatest intellectuals of our times, was more often in prison than at home during the Vietnam War because of his opposition to the unjust war.

Dissent in the West in general and in the US in particular are dealt with in determined, efficient and brutal fashion and therefore it is barely surprising that hardly anyone in the West dares to demand "regime change" or, more politely put, "an overhaul of the entire political system" openly. A person who dares to do so would never be able to hold a decent job in government or the private sector. No mainstream media outlet in the West would hire "Western dissidents".