Category: International issues
Freedom of information during Tham Luang Nang Non rescue
Even in the US, though, we do allow restraint of the press in rare circumstances – national security is probably the most obvious. And, of course, the government doesn’t always tell us everything. I think most of us can agree that there are at least some circumstances where secrecy is warranted. Was the Tham Luang rescue one of them?
Censorship and Challenges of Manga in the Age of Simulpubs
“Simulpub” is a portmanteau of “simultaneously” and “publish” that refers to manga chapters which are published at the exact same time in Japan in Japanese and globally in English via various digital platforms.
The Future of Intellectual Freedom: IFLA, FAIFE Seek Comment, Article Proposals
The future of intellectual freedom is ours to decide. To commemorate Human Rights Day, share your views on the IFLA Statement on Libraries and Intellectual Freedom in IFLA-FAIFE’s survey by January 15th. Then, develop your ideas further with an article abstract for the 2021 special issue of IFLA Journal on intellectual freedom due March 1st.
Banned Books Week through an Alternate Lens: Amnesty International
ALA focuses on the books of Banned Books Week. Amnesty International focuses on people.
US Eyes TikTok Ban While Books are Pulled From Hong Kong Libraries
A ban seems a bit like using a meat cleaver where a scalpel might be more appropriate. I’m also troubled by the potential message a TikTok ban sends; we want to encourage China to be more protective of and open to free speech, especially in light of the troubling shift toward censorship in Hong Kong. Can we really do that if we are banning their apps? By banning their apps, are we taking steps in that same direction?
“How Dare They Take Away My Right To Education?” Happy birthday, Malala Yousafzai!
On July 12, the world celebrates the birthday of Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist, author, and speaker, Malala Yousafzai. While perhaps most widely known for being shot in the head by a member of the Taliban on the way home from school and surviving, Malala was an outspoken advocate of girls’ rights and education before that. Make plans for the children and young adults in your libraries and classrooms to discover her work and message.
Chinese Professor Suspended After Speaking Out About President Jinping
Following the publication of his more recent Imminent Fears piece, Xu was allegedly ordered by university officials to stop “all teaching and research” and take a pay cut. A university “work team” would also be investigating him and the essays he has been writing.
Intellectual Freedom Fighters, Part 2: Flash Drives for Freedom
The second spot of the Intellectual Freedom Fighter series is Flash Drives for Freedom, a Human Rights Foundation initiative to provide USB drives to North Korean defectors to smuggle into the country.
‘Books saved my life and my sanity’: An Interview with Banned Author Carmen-Francesca Banciu
Carmen-Francesca Banciu is an author, journalist and lecturer who grew up in Romania as the daughter of a high-ranking member of the Communist party. She studied in Bucharest, going on to win the International Short Story Prize in Arnsberg, Germany in 1985, leading to a ban on her works in Romania.
Hong Kong, Mainland China, and the Banned Booksellers’ Plight
Even since 1997, that tradition of free speech has endured. An entire cottage industry of publishing content banned throughout Mainland China emerged to a point of (semi-)national notoriety in Hong Kong, if not actual pride.