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'The fight against censorship is open and dangerous, therefore heroic, while the battle against self-censorship is anonymous, lonely and unwitnessed, and it makes its subject feel humiliated'

The issue of censorship remains prevalent in society, taking on many different forms - from suppressing individuals' rights to speak freely and read what they choose to curtailing the independence of the media. This work examines the history and practices of censorship in five countries - the United States, Russia, China, Zimbabwe, and Egypt

What is censorship? Who is qualified to act as a censor and what right has he to prevent his fellow-citizens from receiving information, reading certain books or seeing certain films? What is wrong with the Official Secrets Act, and what are the limits of justified government secrecy? On the other hand, has the public a right to be protected against' offensive' matter which might otherwise be thrust upon it; and if so, should it be the private citizen who has to take legal action, as opposed to official intervention? The problems of privacy and confidentiality … the rights of the citizen in a democratic society … what are the rights of citizens in Third World countries with grave problems of poverty, political instability, racial conflict, and corruption … These and similar questions on a highly controversial subject are dealt with here by two members of our Editorial Board. Asked by Index to discuss censorship and to put their often divergent views, Stuart Hampshire, philosopher, critic, and Warden of Wadham College, Oxford, and the distinguished lawyer, Louis Blom-Cooper, QC, well known for his involvement in civil rights cases and his interest in South Africa, met in the peaceful atmosphere of the College to record a discussion, of which this is an edited version which we hope will provide food for thought and argument.

"Censorship is a complicated topic, but it's one that affects young people's lives. Debates about banning books and other kinds of censorship, especially what children should and should not have access to, continue to happen today. Readers are given the tools to better understand what censorship is-both in the United States and in other countries-in order to develop an informed opinion about this timely topic. The accessible text is paired with eye-catching fact boxes and full-color photographs. In addition, graphic organizers are included, such as a list of ways readers can get more involved with this issue"--

Malawi is an example of the utter extremes of press censorship. It never experienced press freedom until 1993. The Malawi people are still bitter after three decades of Banda's rule. The people's new experience in press freedom has given them their first taste of democracy.

"My goal in this book is to slow down and ask some basic questions: What is censorship and why does it strike us as a grave problem? Is censorship the right concept for thinking about the above phenomena, or are complaints couched in the language of censorship confused, perhaps conceptually? Supposing that there is no confusion, what rights do the new censors have and do they act within those rights when they act in the ways described above? Supposing that they do act within their rights, is their behavior beyond reproach? And if it isn't, what exactly is wrong with it? Answering these questions is crucial for addressing a further question: What should be done about all of this? Do existing executive and legislative proposals represent a wise course of action? Or are they hastily drawn and likely to make matters worse? In addressing these questions, I'll begin at the beginning, with an account of censorship and the reasons it is morally and politically troubling. With this account on the table, we'll see that thinking of the cases above in terms of censorship is perfectly above board. This is in part because private censorship can threaten our ability to realize an intellectual environment we have reason to value, if we value free speech. Despite this, questions about the proper response to private censorship are far from straightforward. For although private parties and states can both act as censors, their censorship affects others in importantly different ways. And those differences mean a great deal for determining the duties of citizens, executives, and legislators. Before we begin, it is worth flagging a methodological point. In the remainder of this chapter, I will be asking you to consider various examples in the service of clarifying concepts or eliciting normative judgments. In discussing these examples, I will be making normative judgments of my own. You will read me saying things like, "such and such is clearly wrong" or "so and so is clearly permissible." It is a background supposition of this work that such judgments can be true or false, and that they are no mere matters of opinion. But I will often be unable to argue for the judgments on which I rely. Rather, I invite you to think about the cases yourself and exercise your own judgment. If it departs from mine, think about why that is. If you can't shake the feeling that I've gone wrong, great! That's how valuable philosophical exchanges are born"--

Hungary's leading novelist believes censorship has 'passed its zenith' as people demand freedom to communicate ideas

section 1. Laws, structures, guidelines -- section 2. The representation of women in the media and the women's movement -- section 3. The indecent representation of women act and further debates -- section 4. New directions on censorship in feminist theory/praxis