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| − | '''Censorship''' is the act of withholding information from a larger audience by an official who has the authority to do so. The name is that of the Roman officials from the era of the classical republic, who conducted the census and supervised public morality. | + | '''Censorship''' is the prohibition of speech from an audience for ideological reasons, as in the banning of prayer in the classroom. |
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| − | Oftentimes it is done for the supposed protection of the ''people'', or to keep the group of people from knowing something bad about the empowered people.
| + | ==The First Amendment and censorship in the U. S.== |
| | + | In the United States, the First Amendment states that "Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." Broadly speaking, the First Amendment is designed to prevent the government from exercising censorship. However, the government does censor political and religious speech anyway. |
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| − | ==The First Amendment and censorship in the U. S.==
| + | More specifically, the government should not exercise "prior restraint." That is, a citizen should not need advance permission from the government in order to publish something, unless it threatens national security. This does not mean that publication may not have consequences. A citizen can be sued for publishing [[libel]], or incarcerated for disclosing military secrets, but the consequences typically occur ''after'' publication, not before. |
| − | In the United States, the First Amendment states that "Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." Broadly speaking, the First Amendment, in combination with the British legal tradition that is the foundation of U. S. law, prevent the government from exercising censorship.
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| − | More specifically, the government cannot exercise "prior restraint;" that is, a citizen never needs advance permission from the government in order to publish something. This does not mean that publication may not have consequences. A citizen can be sued for publishing [[libel]], or incarcerated for disclosing military secrets, but the consequences occur ''after'' publication, not before.
| + | == History == |
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| | + | The word '''censorship''' derives from the nae of the Roman officials who conducted the census and supervised public morality. |
| | ==See also== | | ==See also== |
| | *[[Fairness Doctrine]] | | *[[Fairness Doctrine]] |
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