Censorship
- In ancient Rome, censorship was the office or function of a censor. This article is about controls over publication and discussion.
Censorship is the use of
state or group power to control
freedom of expression. Censorship 'criminalizes' certain actions or the communication of such actions - or suggested communications of such actions. In a modern sense censorship consists of any attempt to suppress information, points of view, or method of expression such as
art, or
profanity. The purpose of censorship is to maintain the
status quo, to control the development of a society, or to stifle dissent among a subject people. For this reason, censorship is very common among organized religions (especially cults, most notably
Jehovah's Witnesses), clubs, social groups and governments. However there are also numerous groups which oppose censorship.
Censorship can be explicit, as in laws passed to prevent information being published or propagated (as in Australia or China where certain Internet pages are not permitted entry), or it can take the form of intimidation by government or even by popular censure, where people are afraid to express or support certain opinions for fear of losing their lives, or their jobs, position in society, or in academia, their academic credibility. In this latter, form it is sometimes called
McCarthyism.
Censorship is a typical feature of dictatorships and other
authoritarian political systems. Democratic nations usually have far less institutionalized censorship, and instead tout the importance of
freedom of speech.
Some thinkers understand censorship to include other attempts to suppress points of view or ideas such as
propaganda,
media manipulation,
spin, or
disinformation. These methods, collectively, tend to work by disseminating misleading information, preventing other ideas from obtaining a receptive audience.
Others point out the suppression of access to the means of dissemination of ideas by governmental bodies such as the
FCC in the
United States of America, or by a newspaper that refuses to run commentary the publisher disagrees with, or a lecture hall that refuses to rent itself out to a particular speaker. Thinkers such as philosopher and novelist
Ayn Rand consider this latter form of censorship to be an acceptable outcome of the defense of property rights. Contradictions of her position emerge from her disapproval of state backed monopoly license in the arena of radio and telecommunication broadcast and state funding of the arts.
Data havens and decentralized
peer-to-peer file sharing systems such as
Freenet can be used to prevent censorship.
Analysis of censorship in action
\n* Censorship in communist regimes\n* Censorship in cyberspace\n* Censorship in Australia\n* Censorship in Europe\n** Censorship in the United Kingdom\n** Censorship in France\n** Censorship under fascist regimes\n* Censorship in Germany\n* Censorship in Iraq\n* Censorship in the United States\n* Feminist censorship\n* Government censorship\n* Religious censorship
Lists of banned works
\n* Banned books\n* Banned films\n* Banned videogames
Readings
\n* Abbott, Randy. "A Critical Analysis of the Library-Related Literature Concerning Censorship in Public Libraries and Public School Libraries in the United States During the 1980s." Project for degree of Education Specialist, University of South Florida, December 1987. [ED 308 864]
- Burress, Lee. "Battle of the Books." Metuchen, NJ: The Scarecrow Press, 1989. [ED 308 508]
- O'Reilly, Robert C. and Larry Parker. "Censorship_or Curriculum Modification?" Paper presented at a School Boards Association, 1982, 14 p. [ED 226 432]
- Hendrikson, Leslie. "Library Censorship: ERIC Digest No. 23." ERIC Clearinghouse for Social Studies/Social Science Education, Boulder, Colorado, November 1985. [ED 264 165]
- Hoffman, Frank. "Intellectual Freedom and Censorship." Metuchen, NJ: The Scarecrow Press, 1989. [ED 307 652]
- Marek, Kate. "Schoolbook Censorship USA." June 1987. [ED 300 018]
- National Coalition against Censorship (NCAC). "Books on Trial: A Survey of Recent Cases." January 1985. [ED 258 597]
- Small, Robert C., Jr. "Preparing the New English Teacher to Deal with Censorship, or Will I Have to Annual Meeting of the National Council of Teachers of English, 1987, 16 p. [ED 289 172.]
- Terry, John David II. "Censorship: Post Pico." In "School Law Update, 1986," edited by Thomas N. Jones and Darel P. Semler. [ED 272 994]
\nSee also
\n* Book burning\n* the Censored Eleven (banned Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons)\n* Censorware\n* Bleep censor\n* Disinfopedia \n* Entertainment Software Ratings Board\n* Joe Lieberman\n* Al Menconi\n* MPAA rating system\n* Fahrenheit 451\n* Index Librorum Prohibitorum of The Roman Catholic Church\n* John Stuart Mill\n* Lady Chatterley's Lover\n* Media controversy\n* Prior restraint\n* Pro-censorship lobbying\n* Production Code\n* Project Censored\n* Project for the New American Century\n* Self-censorship\n* V-chip\n* Video game controversy
External links
\n* Censorship of Curriculum Materials\n* The Right To Read: Censorship in the School Library\n* Challenges to and Censorship of School Guidance Materials\n* National Coalition Against Censorship
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Category:Freedom of Expression
