political censorship
Government speech control
Political censorship is the suppression of speech, publications, or information by governments or those in power to control public discourse.
It ranges from banning books and blocking websites to imprisoning journalists and silencing dissent.
The term usually implies illegitimate restriction—few call their own policies censorship: The regime's political censorship extended to social media platforms.
Debates arise over where legitimate content moderation ends and political censorship begins.
- state surveillanceGovernment observation of citizens
- media blackoutSuppression of press coverage
- sedition chargesProsecution for inciting revolt
- red scareMass anti-communist hysteria
- blacklistingFormally marking for rejection
subversive art · propaganda · authoritarianism · gag orders · kill the messenger · libel laws · classified information · state secrets · banned books · samizdat · memory hole · regulatory bodies · fake news · intelligence agencies · disinformation campaigns · privacy violations · content moderation · public shaming
political censorshipfree press
Journalism without censorship
press freedom · freedom of information · media freedom · independent journalism · media independence
political censorshipfreedom of speech
Protected right to speak
free expression · freedom of expression · free speech · political freedom · protected speech
political censorshipgovernment transparency
Public access to official proceedings
open government · freedom of information · whistleblowing · transparency · public disclosure
political, politics, politic, politically, politician, politicians, politicize, politicized, politicization