Editors Preemptively Cancel To Avoid Backlash

Based on interviews across major houses, publishers are nixing or reshaping projects behind closed doors to preempt social‑media storms and internal staff revolts. This 'soft censorship' happens upstream of public controversies, narrowing what gets acquired and promoted before readers ever see it. — It shows how fear‑based incentives inside cultural institutions constrain speech and diversity of ideas without formal bans, shifting debates from headline 'cancellations' to hidden gatekeeping.