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national censorship

national censorship

7.5
Government control of information and messages that enter or leave the country
  • noun
  • /ˈnæʃənl ˈsɛnʃərʃɪp/
  • Literature
translation icon : censura nacional
  • During the war, national censorship prevented sensitive information from being sent overseas.

Examples

  • The government imposed national censorship on all media outlets.

  • Some activists criticize national censorship as a violation of the right to free speech.

  • Documents revealed the extent of national censorship on international correspondence during that era.

  • Many countries practice national censorship to control information.

  • Documents revealed the extent of national censorship on international correspondence during that era.

  • During the war, national censorship prevented sensitive information from being sent overseas.

  • Some activists criticize national censorship as a violation of the right to free speech.

Synonyms

censorship
vsnational censorship
119 4.8

A system that removes parts of books, films or news that people find harmful

is done by a country's government to control information crossing its borders
suppression
vsnational censorship
57 6.1

Stopping people from expressing opinions or practising traditions by force

focuses on government control of incoming and outgoing information across borders

How Strict

national censorship
  • Literature
7.5
censorship
119 4.8

Surface Forms

Morphology

national + censorship

The phrase's meaning is a straightforward composition of 'national' (relating to the country) and 'censorship' (prohibiting information), so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer it refers to censorship implemented at the national/governmental level. This is a regular, non-idiomatic noun phrase with clear cross-linguistic parallels, so no prior exposure is required to understand it.

Etymology

National censorship comes from the image of a country's gatekeeper. The national part is the country and the censorship part is like using scissors to cut out words and pages from letters and reports at the border. So, the phrase means the government 'controls' or 'stops' information that comes in or goes out of the country.