National Geographic: “From religious texts and anti-slavery novels to modern works removed from school libraries, here’s how the targets of censorship have changed over the years. Mark Twain. Harriet Beecher Stowe. Judy Blume. William Shakespeare. These names share something more than a legacy of classic literature and a place on school curriculums: They’re just some… Continue Reading
Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002
Category Archives: Free Speech
How Book Bans Turned a Texas Town Upside Down
The New York Times Magazine: “…Over the last year, campaigns to ban books have erupted throughout school districts and local libraries across the country. The American Library Association, which tracks challenges to library books or resources since 1990, previously documented roughly 300 to 350 complaints annually, with most challenges targeting a single title each. But… Continue Reading
Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, August 27, 2022
Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, August 27, 2022 – Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly… Continue Reading
The Brooklyn Public Library Gives Every Teenager in the U.S. Free Access to Books Getting Censored by American Schools
Open Culture: “…In response to this concerning trend, the Brooklyn Public Library has made a bold move: For a limited time, the library will offer a free eCard to any person aged 13 to 21 across the United States, allowing them free access to 500,000 digital books, including many censored books. The Chief Librarian for… Continue Reading
How to Kill a Newspaper
The Atlantic: The Aspen Time – How a Soviet-born developer and a West Virginia billionaire destroyed a 141-year-old Colorado newspaper Continue Reading
Texas school district officials order 41 books off of library shelves
The Texas Tribune: “Ahead of the first day of school, the Keller Independent School District is removing all books that were challenged last year within the school district, including the Bible, “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison and a graphic novel adaptation of Anne Frank’s “The Diary of Young Girl.” “Attached is a list of… Continue Reading
American Library Association (ALA) Condemns Proposed State Legislation Limiting Access to Information on Reproductive Health
“The Executive Board of the American Library Association (ALA) issued the following statement in response to proposed state legislation that would censor library materials or put at risk library workers who provide access to information, including information on abortion or any aspect of reproductive health care. ALA stands committed to the free, fair, and unrestricted… Continue Reading
What’s Happening With The Vinton Public Library
Iowa Starting Line – “Residents of a small Iowa town criticized their library’s LGBTQ staff and their displaying of LGBTQ-related books until most of the staff quit. Now, the town’s library is closed for the foreseeable future. After having the same library director for 32 years, the Vinton Public Library can’t seem to keep the… Continue Reading
PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans
Center for Data Innovation: “PEN America, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization dedicated to free expression through literature, has created a dataset tracking books banned or restricted in school classrooms and libraries in the United States from July 2021 to March 2022. The dataset contains the book’s name and author, the school district, the month of challenge… Continue Reading
2022 Edition – A Democracy Crisis In The Making
This report is a partnership between the States United Democracy Center, Law Forward and Protect Democracy: “…We issued our first Report less than four months after the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, itself a violent attempt to subvert the voters’ choice. In that Report, we identified 148 bills that had been filed… Continue Reading
With Rising Book Bans, Librarians Have Come Under Attack
The New York Times: “…As highly visible and politicized book bans have exploded across the country, librarians — accustomed to being seen as dedicated public servants in their communities — have found themselves on the front lines of an acrimonious culture war, with their careers and their personal reputations at risk. They have been labeled… Continue Reading
Copyright Protections for Press Publishers
USPTO: “The Copyright Office has concluded a public study evaluating the effectiveness of current copyright protections for publishers in the United States, with a focus on press publishers. The Office’s report—Copyright Protections for Press Publishers—is linked on the right side of this page. In their letter requesting this study, six members of Congress pointed to… Continue Reading
