Censorship And Freedom Of Speech

Censorship is anything that curbs freedom of expression. It stems from authority and functions to silence what the authority finds disturbing and transgressive, therefore, subject to control. It has often been observed that the reasons of censorship are mainly the desire to retain political power, upholding theological dogmas and maintaining moral standard of the community. And censors often claim to restrict speech, writing or image they find contrary to such long-held beliefs or harmful enough for suppression. Further, it is also important to understand that censorship is not only an after effect of the act of expression. It should also be seen in the absence of the speech-act. It is a process which “encompasses all socially structured proscriptions or prescriptions which inhibit or prohibit dissemination of ideas, information, images, and other messages through a society 's channels of communication whether these obstructions are secured by political, economic, religious, or other systems of authority. It includes both overt and covert proscriptions and prescriptions.” (Beat Muller 227)

In democracy which constitutionally enshrines freedom of speech, censorship constitutes paranoia wherein the authority both mandates free speech and later forfeits if it is found to be threatening. Foucault, in The Courage of Truth opines that parrhesia (truth- telling) which includes both the right to express one’s opinion, and the courage to go against the opinions of others is crucial