Censorship is the control of what people may say, hear, write, read, see, or do. In most cases, this kind of control comes from a government or from various types of private groups. Censorship can affect books, newspapers, magazines, motion pictures, radio and television programs, and speeches. It also may influence music, painting, sculpture, and other arts.
Whenever a government or a private group feels endangered by free expression, it may turn to censorship to protect its basic beliefs. Every society, including democratic ones, has had some kind of censorship when its rulers have felt it would benefit the nation—or themselves. But the strictest control of expression and information occurs in dictatorships and during wartime. The difference between censorship in democracies and in dictatorships is that democracies have ways to limit such action. In the United States, for example, the Bill of Rights and the Supreme Court serve as checks on censorship. Nongovernmental groups, such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), also play an important role in publicizing, and thereby helping to check, governmental censorship.
There are four major types of censorship: (1) moral, (2) military, (3) political, and (4) religious.
Moral censorship
is the most common kind of censorship today. Many governments or groups try to preserve their standards of morality by preventing people from learning about or following other standards. Moral censorship may result when some people believe they have the right to force their values on others. It also may result if most of the people of a country believe that their government should promote certain moral codes.
Many countries, including the United States, have obscenity laws. But since the 1960’s, the definition of obscenity in the United States has narrowed considerably. See Obscenity and pornography.
Military censorship.
During a war, battle plans, troop movement schedules, weapons data, and other information could help the enemy. The armed forces of every country have censors who read the correspondence of servicemen and servicewomen. The censors snip out or blot out any information that might be valuable to the enemy.
The military also may withhold information from the press for security reasons. In Canada, the United States, and some other countries, members of the news media voluntarily censor themselves during wartime. Most nations have some military censorship during peacetime as well.
Political censorship
is used by governments that fear the free expression of criticism and opposing ideas. It is common in undemocratic countries, where unapproved forms of expression are forbidden.
Democracies do not officially permit political censorship. But many democratic governments try to discourage the expression of certain radical ideas. In the United States, various laws prohibit speeches or writings that might lead to violence. During wartime, many democratic governments practice political censorship. They believe that criticism of the government or opposition to the war could aid the enemy.
Religious censorship
occurs in some nations where the government is close to one religion or where religious feelings run high. Those in power may censor the ideas and practices of other religions. For example, Spain, almost all of whose people are Roman Catholics, did not allow Protestants or Jews to hold public religious services throughout much of its history. The Spanish government dropped this ban in 1967. Today, the government of Iran, which is an Islamic republic, maintains a vast network of censors who monitor and police both religious and political views.
Censorship methods.
There are two main kinds of censorship methods, formal and informal. Formal censorship occurs when government officials follow the law to control free expression. Informal censorship takes place if no specific law covers an offense.
Officials may act informally because of pressure from a private group to censor something the group dislikes. Some groups also pressure various companies by threatening not to buy their products. A number of businesses, including the motion-picture and television industries, censor themselves in an effort to avoid public disapproval.
Censorship can occur before or after something is released to the public. In checking material before release, officials may approve it, reject it, or approve it with certain changes. Censors may also act against a book, magazine, or motion picture after its release, although they rarely succeed in doing so in the United States. The U.S. Postal Service may refuse to deliver objectionable mail, and U.S. customs officials may prevent the importation of certain materials.
The growth of the Internet has had a major impact on censorship. It has made it increasingly difficult for all governments to censor information, ideas, and opinions.
