'''Censorship''' is the prohibition of speech from a medium or audience for ideological reasons, as in the banning of [[prayer]] in the classroom.
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'''Censorship''' is the prohibition of speech from a medium or audience for ideological reasons. In another meaning, it is the restriction of a speech act for a content-specific reason.
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==What is Not Censorship==
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There is a tendency of individuals with particularized political beliefs to conflate "censorship" with "opposition," especially when a desired effect in the public sphere is stymied. However, one must remember that a political goal may be opposed for ''content-neutral'' reasons, making its opposition not ''censorship'', but disagreement with cause. For example, someone arguing against the teaching of [[holocaust denial]] in public schools would not be ''censoring'' holocaust denial, but would be opposing the teaching of a malicious untruth.
==The First Amendment and censorship in the U. S.==
==The First Amendment and censorship in the U. S.==
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== History ==
== History ==
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The word '''censorship''' derives from the name of the Roman officials who conducted the census and supervised public morality.
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The word '''censorship''' derives from the name of the Roman officials who conducted the census and supervised public morality. [[Cato the Elder]] was a famous censor, who during his tenure sought to ensure that Romans did not exploit their opulence to the detriment of the city and its people. Unpopular in his time, Cato became symbolic of the Roman ideal in later years.