censorship

Definition of censorship

Etymology

censor + -ship

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ˈsɛnsəˌʃɪp/, SAMPA: /"sEns@%SIp/
• (GenAm) IPA: /ˈsɛnsɚˌʃɪp/, SAMPA: /"sEns@`%SIp/
• Hyphenation: cen‧sor‧ship

Noun

censorship (countable and uncountable; plural censorships)

1. The use of state or group power to control freedom of expression, such as passing laws to prevent media from being published or propagated.

Further reading

Censorship is the suppression of speech or other public communication which may be considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or inconvenient to the general body of people as determined by a government, media outlet, or other controlling body.

Rationale

The rationale for censorship is different for various types of information censored:

• Moral censorship is the removal of materials that are obscene or otherwise considered morally questionable. Pornography, for example, is often censored under this rationale, especially child pornography, which is illegal and censored in most jurisdictions in the world.[1][2]
• Military censorship is the process of keeping military intelligence and tactics confidential and away from the enemy. This is used to counter espionage, which is the process of gleaning military information.
• Political censorship occurs when governments hold back information from their citizens. This is often done to exert control over the populace and prevent free expression that might foment rebellion.
• Religious censorship is the means by which any material considered objectionable by a certain faith is removed. This often involves a dominant religion forcing limitations on less prevalent ones. Alternatively, one religion may shun the works of another when they believe the content is not appropriate for their faith.
• Corporate censorship is the process by which editors in corporate media outlets intervene to disrupt the publishing of information that portrays their business or business partners in a negative light,[3][4] or intervene to prevent alternate offers from reaching public exposure.[5]

References

1. http://www.missingkids.com/en_US/documents/CP_Legislation_Report.pdf
2. http://www.csecworldcongress.org/en/index.htm
3. Timothy Jay (2000). Why We Curse: A Neuro-psycho-social Theory of Speech. John Benjamins Publishing Company. pp. 208-209. ISBN 1556197586.
4. David Goldberg, Stefaan G. Verhulst, Tony Prosser (1998). Regulating the Changing Media: A Comparative Study. Oxford University Press. pp. 207. ISBN 0198267819.
5. http://news.cnet.com/2010-1071_3-1021938.html