The First Amendment to the US Constitution is designed to protect freedom of speech and freedom of the press. In theory, people in the United States can say or write anything they want without fear of being arrested or otherwise punished. In practice, however, governments, corporations, religious institutions and other organized groups often try to suppress information or perspectives they disagree with or object to. The attempt to control what people can say, write or express – or to silence them completely -- is called censorship. This kit examines recent incidents in which powerful institutions have tried to suppress media messages about controversial issues, and encourages learners to use a variety of sources to identify messages the media industry itself may try to censor.