Censorship
Etymology
From “censor,” from Latin “censor,” a Roman magistrate who conducted the census and, notably, supervised public morals and conduct, from “censere,” “to assess, judge, estimate.” The moral-policing side of this ancient office — deciding who fell short of civic standards — is what gave the word its modern meaning of suppressing what is judged improper.
noun · /SEN-sur-ship/
The suppression or control of speech, writing, or images deemed objectionable by an authority.
What it names
Use it when an authority decides in advance what others may say, read, or see — and enforces the line.
Example
The board’s quiet censorship meant certain topics simply never reached the printed page.
Related idea
Censorship is imposed by an authority with power to punish; self-censorship is the private restraint people adopt in anticipation of that power, often without any command being issued. The second is frequently the more pervasive, since it needs no censor to enforce it.