List of Pros on Censorship

Censorship is a protective measure.

Damnatio memoriae is a Latin phrase that means "damnation of memory"; a way to remove all existence of a person who was a traitor or somehow brought dishonor among the Roman State. This practice carried over into later years and was used abundantly during both World Wars. Although not called so at the time, this was nothing more than censorship. A way to simply protect the general public from harmful, sensitive, objectionable, or inconvenient material by suppressing speech (now, within reason of the First Amendment) and other forms of public communication.

Government Information

Censoring material has always been a helpful and practical way to limit what information is available to individuals, but also a means of protecting the public. With no censorship, anyone would be able to look up military operations and schematics and know confidential government information. This would endanger the safety of the entire country.

General Audience

Were it not for censorship, espionage wouldn't be a crime and America would probably be in a complete and utter state of chaos. Censorship is vital to the well being of not just America as a whole, but broken down to the simplest of terms. Parents would object to hearing foul language on regular television. The same goes for other forms of media. Radio and publications and well as billboards and advertisements all follow protocol and laws delineating what is appropriate for the general audience.

Children

In a 2010 survey done nationwide by Scholastic Books Inc., children were asked "What are good reasons to censor books, magazines, and other media?" The top three answers were porn, racism, and sexism. Even children think censorship is good in moderation. Although the children who were surveyed felt that censorship is a good thing, they also said that they feel that censorship did not protect them from the pornography, racism, or sexism to which they felt exposed through media.

Ratings

Television, movies, music, and video games all have ratings or advisory warnings as to the content contained within them. Though probably not widely considered a form of censorship, the ratings all have specific guidelines about how much violence, strong language, or graphic content each may contain. This rating system provides an indication of the range of obscenity, allowing the consumer to make informed decisions.

References

• Censorship: Is it necessary?
• What Is Censorship?