Question: What Is Censorship?

You may recall my difficulties with the misuse of the word “travesty” a few months ago. Well, today’s word is “censorship.” I mostly hear this word from writers whose letters we didn’t print or have requested revisions on. In my understanding, censorship would be gagging someone in the street; forcibly shutting down someone else’s presses and delivery systems; maliciously sending a virus to shut down their server. I don’t think we as a newspaper could censor anyone even if we wanted to. Censorship, by definition, is carried out by the government — or at least an entity bigger than the S-R. I just got off the phone with another “censored” individual. There are many who interpret “free press” as “major newspaper space to do as I please with at no charge”/Lynn Swanbom, A Matter Of Opinion.

Question: What do you think constitutes censorship?