ABSTRACT
Information and representation are not simply epiphenomena in modern societies. Communication is central to the conduct of politics and the lived experience of culture. Direct censorship is one of the key weapons of the information manager. It excludes information from the public sphere and helps to structure the information which is available. Censorship is centrally related to the exercise of power and the management of experience. It is not surprising, therefore, that the use of direct censorship increases in times of acute social, political or military conflict. But the use of direct censorship in societies legitimated by a commitment to liberal democracy presents the state with problems as well as opportunities. The legitimation of censorship is itself one of the major tasks of information management in liberal democratic societies.
