Censorship

Censorship is the removal of material from television, music, books, from the internet, on grounds that it is obscene, vulgar, or very objectionable. Information is removed by a controlling group or body. Censorship is where speech can be suppressed or communicative material may be deleted, because it could be objectionable, harmful, and or sensitive. Typically done through governments, religious groups, mass media, and other forms exist. This would be determined by a so called censor. Censorship is not the same for all aspects of life. Censorship can be broken down into different categories.

Moral censorship seems to be very vague and controversial. Moral censorship is where any material that censor determines to be unmoral or questionable in regards to morality is removed. This editing also looks at the purpose behind material before removing it. This is the reason why pornography is censored in the way that it is. Moral censorship also deals with the display of violence. This is where the amount of presenting sexuality, violence, and profanity is regulated before airing on television. Some movies have been censored in regards to this, like the movie Scarface.

The government’s censorship within the military can also be controversial. The main purpose for military censorship is to keep the intelligence and strategy of the army away from the opposing side or enemy. This also results in the censorship of information or the media coverage that will be released to the public. The government feels that this censorship is necessary to ensure the safety of the public and for national security. In the time of war, a lot harsher censorship is used just to ensure that information that could be useful to the enemy is not released. This involves the secrecy with times and locations, or just delaying the release of information until they believe that it is safe. The government believes that the release of this information will increase the risk for causalities for us, and could even cause a loss of the war, or conflict.

A good example of this military censorship took place during World War I. Letters written home from soldiers fighting the war had to go through censorship. The officers in the army would read each letter and blacken out any information that they felt might compromise their situation in the war if it were to become public. Then during World War II, “loose lips sink ships” was a popular saying to justify the reasons for the wartime censorship. This was also thought to encourage soldiers to keep control themselves when sharing information with others. More currently in the Iraq war; the US government restricts the photography or filming of dead soldiers or caskets to air in the US. They feel this is necessary to prevent the reaction that happened in the Vietnam War. These are still lies.

Also debatable is the idea of political censorship, this where the government reserves the right to withhold any secret information from the citizens. The government feels that if certain information gets out that is unfavorable to the government, this may make them look weak, and more likely to be attacked or exploited by the enemy. Democracies do not officially approve of this censorship, but they do privately endorse it. The way campaigns are run can also be kept private. This biggest one being the Watergate Scandal, In 1972 President Nixon abused his power with corruption though the presidential campaign and attempted to cover it up. This resulted in the resignation of President Nixon in 1974.

Religious censorship as a whole is where material that objects a certain faith is removed. A dominant religion may place limitations on a less dominant religion. They can also reject the works of another religion if they don’t believe that content within their own faith. This censorship can be more apparent in other countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Corporate is another category of censorship. This is the process in which a CEO or business owner can interfere in the media to discontinue the publishing of information that makes the corporation of business look bad, and could cause them to lose customers. This can also be used to prevent the loss of advertiser revenue or shareholder value.

Censorship within education is discussed and debated very often. Whitewashing is a term that is referred to a lot within censorship. Whitewashing is the act of deliberately concealing errors or misdemeanors. It is to cover up or to down play a problem or issue. This idea of whitewashing happens a lot within school text books. Texts are censored by removing critical or damaging evidence. Whitewashing occurs with the Nanking Massacre, Holocaust, denial of the Holocaust, and also the Winter Soldier Investigation of the Vietnam War. Reason for this is to encourage a more patriotic view for young kids.

Religious groups also feel that they have the right to censor what children learn in school. Such as trying to withhold the teachings of evolution, because that is not what they believe. Also religious groups try to force the teachings of creationism as a science within schools. Sexual education is also provocative within schools. Suppressing the information of sexual health and the availability contraceptives occurs in textbooks. There are so many different views on what should be taught and how much should be taught in schools, that it makes it impossible to keep political correctness.

Although musical censorships by states, religions, educational systems, families, retailers, and lobbying groups violates the conventions of human rights, it promotes in the right circumstances more family, children, school appropriate music. Music or pop culture censorship is the removal of controversial information, lyrics, or other messages that are believed will cause harm or unrest if they are spread. The government feels as though it has a right to shield the public from such inappropriate lyrics. This allows the consumer to have a choice of buying an explicit CD or the censored one, depending on their personal preference or belief. Dancing has also been victim to censorship. Dancing has historically been notorious. The focus on censorship on dance with the youth, the amount of sexuality, and the expression, has allowed for parents to be more aware of the way their children are dancing and allow them to be comfortable with them doing it.

Within publications there is copy, picture, and writer approval, a form of censorship. The idea of copy approval is the right for somebody to read an article or interview that they have given before it is published to approve that it is not necessarily accurate, but what they want to be known. Many publication companies don’t give this as an option. Picture Approval is the right for a celebrities or anybody to choose which pictures