ABSTRACT
The protection of truth and the suppression of error have from time to time been major grounds for policies of censorship. Public order is arguably the most generally acceptable justification for censorship after national security. Censorship is an important way in which a society seeks to preserve its social order and integrity against the threats embodied in dissent, many eccentric or innovative ideas, and the unwelcome dissemination of some kinds of information. Social censorship and other restrictions limiting free speech extend importantly into the field of education and the general upbringing of children to ensure that these fall within the range of the usual social expectations. Accusations are made that in modern societies the nature of the media is such as to amount in effect to providing a means for effective censorship. The word 'policy' satisfactorily characterizes most examples of legal censorship as well as many instances of the extra-legal kind.
