Amerika

Another scientific/historical truth that upsets us:

During World War II, a federal Office of Censorship was created to review and if necessary censor any criticism of the morale of U.S. forces, or any communication that might bring aid or comfort to the enemy. Censorship applied not only to news and commentary, but also popular entertainment. Anti-war films were all but unheard of, since the government simply would not allow them.

At the beginning of World War II, around twenty-six news stories were censored in the American press every day; by the end of 1942, the Post Office had completely outlawed seventy newspapers.

There is no reason why newspapers should remain free to publish direct appeals to the American public from members of designated terrorist organizations. Most important, the media should not enjoy the unfettered right to publish national security, intelligence, and military secrets. These revelations can be so damaging to national security that sanctions should be enforced not just against government officials who leak secrets, but also against the journalists and media outlets that disclose them.

Washington Times

It’s a dirty little secret of humanity: we respond to the opinions of others.

So if you want your nation to succeed, which requires roughly everyone be on the same page, you censor.

Successful censorship removes damaging information without requiring that all information toe a party line; for example, removing articles that attack our war policy without demanding all articles praise our war policy.

This is one truth ancient philosophers never shied away from. If you want your people healthy, you need to make a healthy infrastructure. That requires consensus. That itself is in conflict with the idea of letting any idiot with a printing press mentally reprogram your citizens.

Tags: censorship, consensus