Censored - by Margaret E Roberts

Book Synopsis

A groundbreaking and surprising look at contemporary censorship in China

As authoritarian governments around the world develop sophisticated technologies for controlling information, many observers have predicted that these controls would be easily evaded by savvy internet users. In Censored, Margaret Roberts demonstrates that even censorship that is easy to circumvent can still be enormously effective. Taking advantage of digital data harvested from the Chinese internet and leaks from China's Propaganda Department, Roberts sheds light on how censorship influences the Chinese public. Drawing parallels between censorship in China and the way information is manipulated in the United States and other democracies, she reveals how internet users are susceptible to control even in the most open societies. Censored gives an unprecedented view of how governments encroach on the media consumption of citizens.

From the Back Cover

"Sometimes you read a book where all you can do is hold your hand up and recognize that this is as good as it gets. Theoretically and empirically sophisticated, Censored is the new state of the art in research on the Chinese Internet censorship regime. Filled with eureka moments, this book helps readers make sense of the complex terrain of China's authoritarian information order."--Jonathan Sullivan, University of Nottingham

"It seems difficult to conceive of another country that will be more consequential to the world's future than China, and this book helps explain the regime's strategy for maintaining its control of information now and in the future. Roberts brings an impressive array of appropriate data sources and careful analysis to her nuanced argument."--Tim Groeling, University of California, Los Angeles

"This cogent book contends that the current understanding of censorship is overly focused on fear-based repressive strategies of deletion and encouragement of self-censorship, and shows that governments have expanded abilities to manipulate information in more subtle and effective ways. This is an exciting contribution to our understanding of censorship and information control in China."--Mary Gallagher, University of Michigan

Review Quotes

"Co-winner of the 2019 Goldsmith Book Prize for Academic Books, Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School"

"One of Foreign Affairs' Picks for Best of Books 2018"

About the Author

Margaret E. Roberts is associate professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego.