Censorship in the United States

Censorship in the United States has always been more rare than in any other major country since the republic's founding in 1776, but has taken several forms over the centuries.

The US Bill of Rights explicitly forbids the government to censor advocacy of religious ideas or practices and guarantees the rights of citizens to speak and publish freely, as well as to "assemble" to demand "redress of grievances" (see First Amendment).

Yet perfectly free expression of ideas or information has never existed in the US. For example, the U.S. military has always censored news on war. And no one is permitted to "shout fire in a crowded theatre" just to have the fun of causing a panic. There are also laws about incitement to riot, which draw a fine distinction between (a) saying a situation is intolerably bad and (b) urging people to take immediate, illegal action to "right the wrong."

There have been rare examples the government exercising "prior restraint" of sensitive material, for instance the Pentagon Papers' publication in the New York Times and the Washington Post, but these exercises have generally been ruled unconstitutional.

Courts censor "obscene" materials. School libraries, in a way, have occasionally censored a book by refusing to shelve it -- although the public library in the same town might carry it.

Although the First Amendment to the fledgling nation's constitution was intended to guarantee the free expression of political and religious ideas, many writers have charged that political parties and corporate interests have found ways to suppress ideas which are so effective as to be tantamount to censorship itself.

Political parties and corporate interests hire public relations firms, who use spin (a form of propaganda) and media manipulation to direct people's attention away from issues they prefer not to be discussed, or towards others. The techniques are not, however, universally successful. Political scandals, in particular, such as the Monica Lewinsky incident, have a tendency to leak out, in particular if there is sordid or ribald interest.

Moreover, the book Manufacturing Consent argues that economic pressure on media corporations enforces a pro-government slant on news reporting. Similarly, the book Bias argues that a prevailing liberal viewpoint among TV journalists results in the suppression of conservative views. See the media bias page for further discussion of allegations of conservative vs. liberal biases in the American media.

Censorship efforts directed towards musicians have occurred several times in American history. This began at least as far back as jazz in the 1920s, when observers expressed fear that the music was corrupting the minds of young Americans. This has been a common accusation throughout the years, and has been applied to the blues, swing, hip hop, punk rock, rock and roll, heavy metal, psychedelic rock and rockabilly. Artists like 2 Live Crew, Marilyn Manson, Elvis Presley, The Doors and Eminem have been subjects of censorship efforts.

Richard Feynman's autobiography discusses the quasilegal censorship which he and his then-wife worked under while he was at the Manhattan Project.

See also

Censorship in real life:

• Scopes trial
• Pornography
• Communism
• McCarthyism

Related techniques of suppression:

• Propaganda
• Media manipulation

Further information:

• Disinfopedia