STATISTICS AND CASE LAW
ALA’S list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2023 Just out in April 2024. [Submitted by RTO]
American Intolerance and Book Bans: Book Censorship News, February 2, 2024 This is the fifth in a series of posts based on the results of three recent surveys conducted by Book Riot and the EveryLibrary Institute. The page is full of links to lots of data. [Submitted by RTO]
American Library Association Reports Record Number of Demands to Censor Library Books and Materials in 2022 The American Library Association (ALA) compiled data focusing on 1,269 demands throughout 2022 to ban certain books, with 2571 titles were targeted as books that were demanded to be censored. Many of these books are those written by or regarding people of color and the LGBTQIA+ community. This is a stark contrast to previous years, where demands of censorship/banning were primarily concerning a single book. [Submitted by JH]
Banned in the USA: The Mounting Pressure to Censor Many States including but not limited to Florida, Texas, Missouri, Utah, and Pennsylvania have restricted the type of information that kids in public school can read. This in-depth analysis on banned books across the United States notes that predominantly “Female, people of color, and/or LGBTQ+” authors have been censored in in public schools/libraries throughout the 2020’s, especially in the 2022-23 school year. This has happened mainly through the state legislation, with 67% of bannings using relevant legislation. [Submitted by RM]
Report Details ‘Discriminatory Censorship’ Laws Targeting Schools and Students Laws were passed that forbid schools and students to talk about certain subjects, like gender identity, racism, or sexual orientation. This has led to teachers getting fired because they read certain books with certain subjects within them to students, and it has led to students being unable to talk about certain things and explore history. (SS points out the similarity to the “don’t say gay bill” in Florida: https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/floridas-dont-say-gay-bill-actually-says-rcna19929) [Submitted by SS]
The Right to Contraception: State and Federal Actions, Misinformation, and the Courts This article explains that there is misinformation between the use of contraceptives seen as “abortifacients,” and some abortion laws in specific states could be used to limit access to contraceptives. This made places (like Missouri) stop prescribing “Plan B” because of fear of being prosecuted. There are some states that have protections for contraception (13 states). [Submitted by SS]
Sixteen Laws Restricting the LGBTQ Community Passed in 2022 Laws have been passed in 2022 discriminating and limiting and restricting the lgbtqia+ community in America. This article shows where those discriminatory and censorship laws were passed, and where there were laws passed to expand lqbtqia+ rights. [Submitted by SS]
US: School Censorship Violates Basic Human Rights [Submitted by RM]
Where the Supreme Court Stands on Banning Books Most of this article focuses on the 1982 case, “Board of Education, Island Trees Union Free School District v. Pico,” which set the precedent on school boards’ authority on banning books. [Submitted by RM]
THE LATEST REPORTING ON PUSHBACK AGAINST CENSORSHIP
‘My Heart Sank’: In Maine, a Challenge to a Book, and to a Town’s Self-Image A library in Maine has refused to remove a book that liberal locals want suppressed. From the New York Times, Feb. 3, 2024. [Recommended by RTO]
Robie Harris, Whose Sex Ed Books for Kids were Often Banned, Dies at 83 Here’s an interesting obituary about someone whose books you might have read. From the Washington Post, Feb. 7, 2024. [Recommended by RTO]
A Secret Shelf of Banned Books Thrives in a Texas School, Under the Nose of Censors An NPR about a secret shelf that’s no longer a secret. Just as useful for the many other articles linked in the story as for the story itself. From NPR, Jan. 29, 2024 [Recommended by RTO]
Students reported her for a lesson on race. Then she taught it again. A high school teacher in South Carolina got busted for teaching Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me, and instead of backing down she doubled down. From the Washington Post, Feb. 1, 2024. [Recommended by RTO]
What It’s Like to Celebrate Black History in a State Where It’s Banned Here’s another left-leaning piece about Florida. From Mother Jones, Feb. 1, 2024. [Recommended by RTO]
CENSORSHIP OF ART
Experts Say Attacks on Free Speech are Rising Across the U.S. This article combines the statements of political and social experts on the contradicting actions and free speech attacks between different political and religious sides of our society that counter the first amendment rights. It discusses drag queens, banning books and public performances/showings in multiple states. The main story centers on an artist in Idaho named Kartina Majkut, whose art is described as “using embroidery to highlight and subvert the historically narrow ideas of wifehood and motherhood.” Her exhibit was brought to a college in Idaho, but she and two other artists featured in this exhibition were told some of their art needed to be removed since it displayed pro-abortion messaging. [Submitted by CJM, HB, and JS]
The NFL Scrubbing Alicia Keys’ Super Bowl Sour Note From The Internet Shows How Successful Censorship Can Be The official NFL account on YouTube posted an edited version of this year’s Superbowl halftime performance. The edit included the audio modification/fixation of Alicia Keys’s solo where the original performance included her messing up the first note. With the NFL doing this, many question 1.) If large, multi-million-dollar corporations edit such minor aspects, what do they (and have they done) do to major aspects?; 2.) With the assistance of technology, what does this mean for censorship and the advancement of so—and how will this affect us as a whole?; 3.) Will we see a debate in the future where one side argues that Alicia Keys messed up the first note versus the other side arguing that the NFL’s edited post was the true performance? With technology, we see a major shift in censorship and how it will be applied and utilized for big corporations, populations, and individuals. On the other hand, the article seems to equate any sort of AI correction, or editing in any form, with censorship. But is airbrushing a photo of a model for an advertisement really in the same category as airbrushing someone out of the history books, as in The Commissar Vanishes? Surely not all editing is a form of censorship; if the recording had been altered for some ideological reason, such as to remove (for example) a verse that criticized the NFL or one of its sponsors, that would be more clearly an example of censorship. [Submitted by LH]
Oakland Museum Cancels Palestinian kids’ War Art (2011) ”I found this article on TikTok because the person who posted was commenting on how the article still has so much relevance 13 years later.” The Oakland children’s museum cancelled an art show from Palestinian youth that depicted Israeli attacks on their homes and families. The museum chose to cancel the exhibit to avoid political conflict and backlash from Israel supporters. [Submitted by IA]
Targeted Artist: Censorship Is Part of Genocidal Campaign to Erase Palestinians This one talks about how a Palestinian artist and filmmaker, Emily Jacir, had her event in Berlin get canceled after Israel attacked Gaza. She believes her and many others events were canceled, because it was a part of a coordinated movement to stop Palestinian citizens from getting heard. She was told that they would have the event during a more “peaceful time,” but she claims now of all times should be the best time to be heard. [Submitted by JT]
CENSORSHIP OF JOURNALISTS
Attacks, Arrests, Threats, Censorship: The High Risks of Reporting the Israel-Gaza War (2024) This article describes the dangers of being a journalist on the ground in Palestine. Journalists do not only have to fear the carpet bombing of civilian areas like the rest of the population. They are also assaulted, arrested, and imprisoned. The article provides the cases of specific journalists and how the Israeli army has raided their homes, killed their families, beaten them, and/or taken them to prison. Israel is censoring Palestinian voices by brutalizing those who share the atrocities happening in Gaza. [Submitted by IA]
BLM Activist Shaun King Claims Instagram Account Banned over ‘Fighting for Palestine’ Amidst anti-Israel Posts (2023) “The account was disabled due to multiple instances of praise for designated entities in violation of our policies” – Meta spokesperson King’s account was removed for posting anti-Israel content and radical advocacy for a ceasefire to end the genocide of Palestinian civilians actively occurring in the Gaza Strip. The fact that Meta outright stated that they removed him for supporting a cause that they did not agree with is extremely blatant censorship. The article goes on to talk about other controversies related to Shaun King, but those controversies are unrelated to ‘praising designated entities’. He was banned due to his political opinions, and sharing graphic content from Gazan journalists on the ground, despite Meta’s sensitive content shield that must be willingly bypassed to view certain posts. [Submitted by IA]
Republicans In Oklahoma Want Me To Get a License To Run This Blog “Senate Bill 1837, which would require media outlets to jump through a ton of wacky hoops, is one best examples I know of the dangerous mischief going on in state governments,” writes Charlie Pierce at his Esquire blog. According to Oklahoma Public Radio, State Sen. Nathan Dahm (R – Broken Arrow) authored Senate Bill 1837, which seeks to ‘avoid potential abuse of the freedom of the press.’ Under the proposed requirements, anyone who works for a media outlet would need to submit to criminal background checks and quarterly drug tests. The bill would also require them to file for a license from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, obtain $1 million in liability insurance, and attend an eight-hour ‘propaganda-free’ safety training developed by PragerU. The license for individual journalists would cost $290 every five years. Media outlets would also need to pay $250,000 for a license every year and obtain $50 million in liability insurance. That applies to national and local outlets alike. Those outlets would also be required to provide the following disclaimer before each story, or throughout any video: ‘WARNING: THIS ENTITY IS KNOWN TO PROVIDE PROPAGANDA. CONSUMING PROPAGANDA MAY BE DETRIMENTAL TO YOUR HEALTH AND HEALTH OF THE REPUBLIC.'” [Recommended by RTO, along with that entire blog]
CENSORSHIP BY THE U.S. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
How the US Government is Aggressively Censoring Climate Science (2018) This article discusses the ways in which the US government actively removed mentions of climate change and climate science from different documents, surrounding the repeal of the Obama administrations carbon reduction policy. They also talk about how obviously climate change induced natural disasters are written to intentionally deny the true cause, which I would argue is a form of censorship. [Submitted by IA]
State Department Funnels Cash to Foreign Group to Fight ‘Disinformation’ Amid GOP Censorship Scrutiny President Biden is using an overseas nonprofit to help get rid of misinformation about covid. The Washington Examiner, an extreme conservative publication, is suspicious of the motives and alleges that Democrats’ use of taxpayer funds to promote scientific evidence is in fact an attempt to control the narrative and may be seen as a form of censorship. [Submitted by SS]
The Trump Administration is Cracking Down Against a Global Movement to Boycott Israel. Here’s What You Need to Know About BDS BDS (boycott, divestment, sanctions) movement: If an organization attempts to participate in the divestment of Israel based on any moral or legal framework, there are leverages that can take away federal aid money from those organizations, and sometimes the participation is outright illegal. [Submitted by SP]
CENSORSHIP BY STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
Alabama Flags Children’s Book for Censorship Because Author’s Name is ‘Gay’ This article covers a situation involving a book called Read me a Story Stella being flagged for review due to the author’s last name being “Gay.” The book itself is about siblings reading and building a fort and has no explicit content. The article also talks about books that discuss gender, sexuality and police brutality being relocated to the adult section. [Submitted by JS]
Authors and Students Sue Over Florida Law Driving Book Bans Censorship of the children’s picture book And Tango Makes Three, starting in Florida around 2021 and then moving to other areas of the United States. The basis of the censorship is the gay relationship shown in the book. [Submitted by SP]
The Fight Over ‘Maus’ Is Part of a Bigger Cultural Battle in Tennessee Censorship of Maus, a graphic novel about the Holocaust, by certain Tennessee school boards in 2022. According to the article, the author thinks the intention is to present a “nicer” picture of the Holocaust through the banning of the book. The basis of the banning is the language used in the books, which is seen as “objectionable.” [Submitted by SP]
Nauseating: Censorship Must Not be Tolerated This article talks about how Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s law on banning books with sexual content, should make adults/parents mad at this addition, because it purposefully leaves kids in the dark, which doesn’t help the kids grow at all. The article also says that many lawmakers would be willing to get the same law applied to their own state. It’s terrifying how many lawmakers want to take away parents and school districts’ control over what children read. [Submitted by JT]
Ron DeSantis’ Academic Restrictions Show He Hopes to Change History by Censoring It Ron De Santis’s Stop Woke Act in Florida banned the discussion of African-American studies, LGBTQ+ content, racism, and economic inequity in state schools. “Cut from the curriculum (or in some cases made optional) was any discussion of Black Lives Matter, mass incarceration, police brutality, queer Black life and the Black Power movements of the 1960s and 70s. Writers who have been removed from the reading list include bell hooks, Angela Davis and Ta-Nehisi Coates.” [Submitted by CJM] (see also https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/01/us/college-board-advanced-placement-african-american-studies.html)
The Supreme Court Showdown over Social Media “Censorship” and Free Speech Online This article discusses a case that would allow the state of Texas to control content moderation on social media sites. This would require social media companies to publish content they don’t wish to publish if the Texas government insists they do publish it. [Submitted by JS] (See also the conservative Daily Signal spin on this case, submitted by SS for contrast.)
Texas ‘Book Rating’ Law Is Blocked on Appeal The state of Texas recently proposed a law that would require all books to have a rating based on their content. The law was immediately challenged by bookstores and publishers alike stating that it violated the First Amendment. It would be an unconstitutional act of censorship. [Submitted by EB]
Texas Has Banned More Books than Any Other State, New Report Shows Texas has attempted to ban discussions of LGBTQ+ representation and issues, race, racism, and abortion, framing the authority to do so as a parents movement where parents argue that certain books are “pornographic” and to fight against books with “CRT” (or Critical Race Theory) content. Parents pushed heavily for this. [Submitted by CJM]
Why Would Florida Book Bans Target Nashville Author Ann Patchett? Censorship Runs Amok Ann Pachett had two of her books banned, one called Patron St. of Liars. The book has a part where a woman comes to the house of unwed mothers, where she is said to be pregnant, Ann tells us that we don’t get to see her have sex, she literally showed up to the place already pregnant. She also points out how the mother chose not to have an abortion, which Ann claims should give it a reason to stay in Florida, due to their no abortion law. She also says one possibility for her book getting banned, is due to the book having implied sex. The other book that was banned was called Bel Canto. The book in question was about a famous opera singer bringing people closer through the art of music during a terrorist situation in South America. This book ends with the terrorists getting shot. This too is something that Ann believes should be okay in the state of Florida, due to Florida being pro gun. [Submitted by JT]
CENSORSHIP BY INDIVIDUAL SCHOOLS AND INSTITUTIONS
Students Accuse D.C. School of Censorship after It Barred Israel Movie At the D.C. school, Jackson-Reed High School, an Arab Club was prevented from, “hosting a screening of a documentary about the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict” in late 2023 (Lumpkin). The documentary aired in 2016 and was about how Israel influenced the media to get aid from the US. The principal claims that the students didn’t follow proper procedures to set up their activity, but with continued request and lack of why the movie itself may not be screened, the club is still unable to screen the movie. [Submitted by MB]
Barnard College’s Restrictions on Political Speech Prompt Outcry “Professors and free speech advocates are protesting a decision by the college to monitor and remove pro-Palestinian statements and other speech the college deems too political,” says the NYT. The liberal arts college claims to be committed to free speech while also claiming its bans on political activity are nothing new. [Submitted by RTO]
INTERNATIONAL CENSORSHIP
China Censors Police Brutality Report After Death in Custody A man in the northwestern portion of China was detained by police officers in 2018 for a ‘public order crime’. During his detainment, Sun, 31, underwent a series of multiple tortures which resulted in his death. Sun’s mother went and got a second opinion and autopsy and proceeded in a court setting to persecute her son’s abusers. A report was published by financial outlet Caixin revealing the court documents incriminating his captors. Said report was taken down Monday by Chinese internet censors. [Submitted by EB]
China’s Growing Comedy Scene Feels Censorship Chill This article talks about a Chinese comedian who made a joke quoting something a Chinese leader said to the military in reference to adopting his dogs. This caused people online to report him for mocking the “people’s army” and as a result he was detained and his company was fined 15 million yuan. The article goes on to explain how in China, the comedy industry has faced several other instances of censorship in the past. [Submitted by JS]
Holocaust Survivor Marione Ingram Decries Climate of Censorship After Her Hamburg Talks Are Canceled This article talks about Marione Ingram, who was scheduled to talk in eight schools, but got canceled in December, then eventually just got postponed to May. But she believes that she was postponed due to her being a holocaust survivor, she would be used for propaganda by the AfD. (JT asks since she was being timed, could this also be seen as censorship? She had to cut out many things, and she was practically cut off from what she was trying to say.) [Submitted by JT]
How Watermelon Imagery, a Symbol of Solidarity with Palestinians, Spread around the Planet Watermelon imagery is being used as a means of voicing solidarity with Palestinians during the current Israel-Hamas conflict on social media. The use of watermelon imagery for this purpose dates back to at least the 1980’s, but current uses of it are means of getting around algorithms that would censor usual language such as the words “Gaza” or “Palestinian.” The watermelon signal quickly appeared on social media to represent the colors of Palestine and avoid censorship by the US or Chinese government. [Submitted by JH and JR]
Malaysia Issues ‘Kill Switch’ Order to Cut Controversial Concerts Matty Healy—the frontman of the band called the 1975, who was recently on tour in Malaysia—criticized Malaysia’s homophobic laws and kissed a male bandmate on stage in protest in July of 2023. In response, the weekend festival that was hosting their performance was cancelled, and a minister has stated that concert organizers in Malaysia must have a “kill switch” baked into performances that would end them quickly should they break official guidelines. [Submitted by JH]
Netflix ‘Annapoorani’ Take-Down: Why OTT Platforms Bent the Knee to Moral Police and Netflix Film’s Removal Shows Power of India’s Hindu Right Wing Netflix removed a movie because it made a Hindu Nationalist mad. The movie didn’t portray the Hindu culture the way the prime minister of India and Hindus had wanted and made a successful request to take the movie off Netflix this past year. The Indian produced film Annapoorani was originally censored upon its initial release due to moral and religious reasons. The plot follows a Muslim woman breaking vegetarianism to win a cooking competition and fall for her love interest; Hindu activists said the film about a female chef overcoming caste prejudice hurt their feelings. Upon its censorship the film was later released on Netflix since streaming services do not have the same censorship laws. Receiving massive backlash, the platform has now taken down the film again. [Submitted by EB and MB]
Netflix Expands Into a World Full of Censors Censorship of certain parts of movies and shows on Netflix in Turkey (~2019). Certain things have been blurring out, for example, middle fingers if a person is being flipped off. Grounds for censorship is that such visuals do not align with the country’s values and are thought to be harmful to the people who might see it. [Submitted by SP]
Russia’s Online Censorship Has Surged During Ukraine War The New York Times reports that “Russia’s Online Censorship … [increased] 30-Fold During Ukraine War.” The Russian government have blocked access to many social media websites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Additionally, Vkontakte, one of Russia’s largest social media sights, are banning certain individuals who oppose Russia, taking down news stories and posts, and restricting specific words people can search. [Submitted by MB]
PERSPECTIVES ON THE DEBATE OVER FREE SPEECH
ACLU: The Problem With Censoring Political Speech Online – Including Trump’s Following the decision by various online platforms to suspend former President Trump’s accounts, concerns have emerged regarding the immense power these platforms hold over online speech and their potential to silence individuals. While some policymakers argue that these platforms disproportionately target conservative voices, actions like Florida’s new law prohibiting online platforms from blocking political candidates’ accounts and compelling them to publish candidate content, regardless of community standards or First Amendment protections, are deemed unconstitutional. Despite the platforms’ right to control content, there’s a call for them to preserve political speech and transparency, including clear rules for content removal and penalties, to ensure access to important political discourse and uphold free expression. [Submitted by MS]
ACLU: What the Fight Against Classroom Censorship is Really About This article is written by ACLU, American Civil Liberties Union. They talk about how politicians and state officials, especially on the east coast, are controlling what is being taught in classrooms, to the point of silencing the voices of oppressed historical individuals. The situation is re-whitewashing the history lessons and going backwards in time. Thy emphasis on the importance of free speech in educational settings and it’s need for protection. [Submitted by HB]
Adults Have a Lot to Say About Book Bans — But What About Kids? Children, ages 9 – 12, are giving their perspective on book bannings. The children are from different states with book bannings taking place. There are numerous pieces of media with adults speaking their mind on the book bannings, NPR correspondent Elizabeth Blair set out to give a few kids a platform to hear their take on the issue. NPR’s radio show allotted time on their radio show “All Things Considered” and the segment was then transcribed into a digital article. [Submitted by RM]
Alliance Defending Freedom: There’s No Place for Government Censorship in Counseling Sessions The increasing rates of depression among Americans, exacerbated by factors like the global pandemic, heightened divisiveness, and economic challenges, highlight the critical need for accessible mental health support. According to this conservative Christian think tank, some state and local governments are imposing censorship on mental-health professionals, particularly regarding discussions on gender ideology, violating freedom of speech and impeding counselors’ ability to address clients’ needs effectively. These laws not only restrict counselors’ ability to provide holistic care but also infringe on clients’ rights to explore and address their personal struggles in private sessions, prompting concerns about governmental overreach and the need to protect free speech in therapeutic settings. [Submitted by MS]
American Free Speech Enters Uncharted Territory This article mainly discusses the topic of free speech in America and Twitter, now X, censorship. They compare the different censorships of social media and books across America. The article talks about how free speech on social media is the same as free speech in the “real world” with using examples of Donald Trump’s Twitter era. [Submitted by HB]
As a New Generation Rises, Tension Between Free Speech and Inclusivity on College Campuses Simmers Younger generations of Americans are beginning to debate with older generations about the relationship between free speech and hate speech. This debate has been exacerbated through current events and increases of hate crimes throughout the United States and much of the world marginalizing people psychologically as well as harming them physically. [Submitted by JH]
Institute for Youth in Policy: Censorship Is Ruining America’s Education The brief discusses the growing problem of censorship in the education system, driven by personal beliefs and political pressures, resulting in the removal of content on topics like racism and sexuality. It highlights the need for clearer policies to prevent the suppression of educational materials and ensure students have access to comprehensive learning experiences, emphasizing the importance of addressing censorship at both state and federal levels to protect students’ right to information. [Submitted by MS]
Progressives Shamelessly Try to Censor a Meeting of Moms Who Care about Schools in NYC New York City parental group, Moms for Liberty, began to organize a meeting at a privately owned hall to discuss parental involvement. The conservative grassroots organization was met with tensions as two elected City Council members released a joint statement urging the owner of the venue to cancel the meeting. Their reasoning being the groups message included hate speech and divisive rhetoric. [Submitted by EB]
Stand Together Trust: Is America Becoming a Society of Censorship? In the aftermath of the 2022 Winter Olympics, where speech codes were enforced, concerns are raised about the prevalence of self-censorship among athletes, brands, and Americans at large, with many fearing isolation or reprisal for expressing their beliefs, particularly on sensitive issues like human rights abuses. This trend, often associated with “cancel culture,” is seen as a significant cultural phenomenon, impacting free speech climates in various domains, including education, prompting calls for efforts to foster environments where diverse voices can engage in constructive dialogue without fear of retribution. [Submitted by MS]
When States Try to Take Away Americans’ Freedom of Thought (NYT Editorial Board) States and Colleges are preventing speakers from boycotting certain ideas for the sake of keeping a certain narrative. Regardless of experience and knowledge on conflicts, their voices are being censored by laws and requirements. These speakers are then neglecting to speak since they are not able to speak their mind; the article speaks specifically on laws in Georgia and universities in Arkansas since 2020. [Submitted by MB]
Richard Obenauf, PhD 