Self-censorship - Definition and Overview

Self-censorship is when a film producer, film director, publisher or author censors and/or classifies his/her own books or films.

Since the beginning of the "War against Terror", the phenomenon has taken an unprecedented importance in the USA, notably with right-wing news channels, such as Foxnews, deliberately censoring information and following the governemental line. For instance, Fox News started using the term "homicide bomber" instead of "suicide bomber" at White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer's request. Along with fellow News Corporation subsidiary the New York Post and Pravda, it was one of the few major news sources to. People and organisations (Media Matters for America, FAIR, Democracy Now !, ACLU) have raised concerns about the impact this phenomenon might have on the quality of the news and the information of the public in general.

See Also

• Censorship
• Newspeak
• L'Origine du monde

External Links

• Censorship (http://www.fair.org/media-woes/censorship.html) (FAIR)
• Amanpour: CNN practiced self-censorship (http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/mediamix/2003-09-14-media-mix_x.htm) (USA Today)
• 33 internal FOX editorial memos reviewed by MMFA reveal FOX News Channel's inner workings (http://mediamatters.org/items/200407140002) (Media Matters for America)
• FCC fears force Fox to pixelate cartoon nudity (http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/TV/01/17/obscured.cartoon.ap/index.html) (CNN)