Censorship, editing and self-censorship

Arts & Ideas

BBC

Society & Culture

4.2 • 598 Ratings

🗓️ 4 July 2025

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Shahidha Bari looks at censorship, editing and self-censorship with guests including historian of China, Rana Mitter, Jemimah Steinfeld of Index on Censorship and Nigel Warburton, host of the Philosophy Bites podcast. Amelia Fairney discusses her research on sensitivity readers and the conversations that take place in publishing houses. And, Nicola Wilson, who’s been studying reading recommendations from The Book Society which operated in the UK between 1929 and 1968. The book selectors sometimes suggested changes to the published texts so we hear about this history and look at publishing now.

Nicola Wilson's book Recommended! The influencers who changed how we read is out now Nigel Warburton has written many books on philosophy including A Little History of Philosophy

Producer: Ruth Watts

Transcript

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0:00.0	Can I just say?
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0:14.2	It's right foot goes for goal.
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0:21.7	The stat that is astonishing is they ended with the lowest amount of possession.
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0:26.8	So if you love sport, a passion, it's almost like a religion.
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0:35.8	BBC Sounds, music, Radio, Podcasts.
0:40.1	Hello and welcome to the Arts and Ideas podcast presented by me, Shahid Abari.
0:45.5	Alan Bennett once remarked, I'm all in favour of free expression, provided it's kept rigidly under
0:51.6	control.
0:52.7	The trouble is, as radio presenters in live studios know too well,
0:56.1	it's a tough job keeping enthusiastic guests in line.
0:59.8	And it might be trickier still tonight,
	...

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