Controlled Media - is it a good thing?

[menospeakthai]

The British government today has advised all British citizens to avoid gatherings in Thailand due to the fear of riots.

Below are incidents what happened in Thailand and England in the last week, the incidents in Thailand have been reported globally (a good democracy allows reporting of the good and the bad) nos. 2-4 = Thailand news coverage.

No.1 is riots that happened last week in London at the Notting Hill festival, a gathering to celebrate Caribbean culture.

1. Notting Hill Riots Amateur Recording -

2. CBS (USA) recording -

3. NTDTV recording -

4.A Thai news station (at a guess, correct me if im wrong menospeakthai) -

The Notting Hill riots have not been seen or heard of in the UK a country which lectures China and many other countries about having a free press, what has gone wrong in Western countries to be fearful to upset ethnic groups and suppress the media.

This is how the BBC have reported the Notting Hill carnival last week - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/7581261.stm

So my question is should we have free press or is it best suppressed should it upset certain people in a society?