Not to be confused with Censure in the United States.
Part of a series on
Censorship by country
Countries
List
Albania
Algeria
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Bhutan
Bolivia
Brazil
Cambodia
Canada
Chad
China (Hong Kong / overseas)
Croatia
Cuba
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Eritrea
Finland
France (Ancien Régime)
Germany (Nazi / Democratic Republic / Federal Republic)
Greece
Guatemala
Honduras
India
Indonesia (Dutch East Indies)
Iran (Islamic)
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy (World War I)
Jamaica
Japan (Empire of Japan)
Kenya
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mexico
Morocco
Myanmar
Nepal
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Nigeria
North Korea
Pakistan
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland (Communist)
Portugal
Qatar
Romania (Communist)
Russia (Russian Empire / Soviet Union / Russian Federation)
Rwanda
Samoa
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Singapore
Somalia
Sudan
South Africa
South Asia
South Korea
South Sudan
Spain (Francoist)
Sri Lanka
Sweden
Syria
Taiwan
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zimbabwe
See also
Freedom of speech by country
Internet censorship and surveillance by country
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In the United States, censorship involves the suppression of speech or public communication and raises issues of freedom of speech, which is protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Interpretation of this fundamental freedom has varied since its enshrinement. Traditionally, the First Amendment was regarded as applying only to the Federal government, leaving the states and local communities free to censor or not. As the applicability of states rights in lawmaking vis-a-vis citizens' national rights began to wane in the wake of the Civil War, censorship by any level of government eventually came under scrutiny, but not without resistance. For example, in recent decades, censorial restraints increased during the 1950s period of widespread anti-communist sentiment, as exemplified by the hearings of the House Committee on Un-American Activities. In Miller v. California (1973), the U.S. Supreme Court found that the First Amendment's freedom of speech does not apply to obscenity, which can, therefore, be censored. While certain forms of hate speech are legal so long as they do not turn to action or incite others to commit illegal acts, more severe forms have led to people or groups (such as the Ku Klux Klan) being denied marching permits or the Westboro Baptist Church being sued, although the initial adverse ruling against the latter was later overturned on appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court case Snyder v. Phelps.
The First Amendment protects against censorship imposed by law, but does not protect against corporate censorship, the restraint of speech of spokespersons, employees, or business associates by threatening monetary loss, loss of employment, or loss of access to the marketplace.[1][2] Legal expenses can be a significant hidden restraint where there is fear of suit for libel. Many people in the United States are in favor of restricting censorship by corporations, citing a slippery slope that if corporations do not follow the Bill of Rights, the government will be influenced.[2][clarification needed][needs update]
Analysts from Reporters Without Borders ranked the United States 42nd in the world out of 180 countries in their 2022 Press Freedom Index. Certain forms of speech, such as obscenity and defamation, are restricted in communications media by the government or by the industry on its own.[3]
^Timothy Jay (2000). Why We Curse: A Neuro-psycho-social Theory of Speech. John Benjamins Publishing Company. pp. 208–209. ISBN 978-1-55619-758-1.
^ abDavid Goldberg; Stefaan G. Verhulst; Tony Prosser (1998). Regulating the Changing Media: A Comparative Study. Oxford University Press. p. 207. ISBN 978-0-19-826781-2.
^"World press freedom index". RSF. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
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