Censorship, writes Nobel Prize winning South African author J.M. Coetzee, "looks forward to the day when writers will censor themselves and the censor himself can retire." Both ubiquitous and invisible, self-censorship is frequently invoked but little explored. Just as censorship is often disguised under the rubric of "protecting children" or sensitivity to religious values, self-censorship masquerades as a search for political balance or respect for one's audience. But can every modification of content made in consideration of others be deemed self-censorship? And, if so, where can one draw this line?
We have collected articles and reports of incidents involving self-censorship in an attempt to throw light onto this difficult issue. As self-censorship is often only known to the person or institution practicing it, our project, Exposing the Censor Within, invites people to share their own stories of self-censorship anonymously.
RESOURCES AND ARTICLES ON SELF-CENSORSHIP
Self-Censorship on Campus (blogpost 2/2009) About Closed Minds?: Politics and Ideology in American Universities (Brookings Institution Press, 2008), by Bruce L. R. Smith, Jeremy D. Mayer, and A. Lee Fritschler
New York Theatre Workshop's Self-Censorship: My Name is Rachel Corrie The New York Theater Workshop "postponed" the production of My Name is Rachel Corrie (March 2006). The play is a selection from the writings of Rachel Corrie (the 23-year-old American who went to aid Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and, in March 2003, was killed by an Israeli bulldozer) edited by Alan Rickman and Katherine Viner.
Chicago Spertus Closes Exhibition Under Pressure After a month of resisting pressure to close its critically acclaimed exhibition, Imaginary Coordinates, the Spertus Museum finally buckled, citing the “risk of alienating its core constituency.” Reportedly, members of the “key audience” were offended by what they interpreted as anti-Israel points of view (June 2008).
Dan Rather's Remarks at the NCAC Annual Celebration The full text of Dan Rather's remarks at NCAC's Annual Celebration of Free Speech and Its Defendants (Oct 2008).
Censorship in Camouflage I: The Censor Within The Censorship in Camouflage Project consists of a series of discussions and publications exploring structural, economic, political and cultural factors—in addition to the more frequently debated legal issues—constraining artistic expression (June 2002).
The Censor Within Svetlana Mintcheva's Introduction to Section 5 of Censoring Culture: Contemporary Threats to Free Expression (2006).
Self Censorship: How Often and Why - Journalists Avoiding the News The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, in association with the Columbia Journalism Review, explores self-censorship in journalism (April 2000).
Willingness to Self-Censor The "Willingness to Self-Censor Scale" surveys a person's willingness to withhold his or her opinion from an audience perceived to disagree with that opinion.
Christopher Shinn's "Market Rules" Featured in the Index on Censorship, Shinn discusses the issue of self-censorship as it relates to US theatre and My Name is Rachel Corrie (Nov 2008).
"Self-Censorship: Counting the Ways" by Andrew Kohut A look at self-censorship in journalism - from the May/June 2000 issue of the Columbia Journalism Review.
"You Can't Report What You Don't Pursue" by Trudy Lieberman A look at self-censorship in journalism - from the May/June 2000 issue of the Columbia Journalism Review.
"How to Prevent Self-Censorship" by Tracy McNamara Stifling self-censorship requires building a healthy newsroom culture - from the May/June 2000 issue of the Columbia Journalism Review.
"Network Television News: With Fear and Favor" by Lowell Bergman A look at self-censorship in network television - from the May/June 2000 issue of the Columbia Journalism Review.
"Are You Censoring Yourself?" by Eric Maisel, PhD This article discusses the "artist's relationship to society" and both internal and external censoring (Nov 2007).
"A Dirty Little Secret: Self-Censorship is Rampant and Lethal" by Debra Lau Whelan Librarians and other book distributors censor materials in fear of public comment - published in the School Library Journal, February 2009.
