https://pjmedia.com/rogerkimball/2012/03/24/annals-of-censorship/feed/PJ Media is a leading news site covering culture, politics, faith, homeland security, and more. Our reporters and columnists provide original, in-depth analysis from a variety of perspectives.en-usWed, 10 Jun 2026 07:02:18 -0400<![CDATA[The most effective form of censorship is also the quietest. It operates not by actively proscribing speech but by rendering certain topics hors de combat, literally undiscussable. It does this by propagating an atmosphere of revulsion and taboo. Ordinary censorship prohibits the dissemination of particular opinions or bits of information. The more subtle engine of silence I have in mind goes further. It stanches not only the flow of speech but also the flow of thought. Ordinary censorship occupies itself with the results of human curiosity. What I am talking about attacks human curiosity itself.]]>Sat, 24 Mar 2012 10:51:26 -0400<![CDATA[Roger Kimball]]>https://pjmedia.com/roger-kimball/2012/03/24/annals-of-censorship-n116790