Intellectual Freedom News 01/27/2023
Highlights
- American Library Association gets $5.5 million Mellon grant | ABC News/AP
- American Library Association opposes North Dakota HB 1205 | Intellectual Freedom Blog
Censorship
- Crusade to ban books in Lee’s Summit school libraries is as absurd as it is doomed — Opinion | Kansas City Star (MO)
- Students want new books. Thanks to restrictions, librarians can’t buy them. | Washington Post
- Conservative group involved in Central Bucks library regulations some fear as defacto book ban | Bucks County Courier Times (PA)
- City delays revealing book decision | Fremont Tribune (NE)
- Alumni upset as new Brandywine school board seeks oversight of sex ed, ‘explicit’ books | WSJM (MI)
- Florida cites CRT, ‘Black struggle,’ and communism in rejected African American course | Orlando Sentinel (FL)
- Groups urge schools to resist book bans | Eagle-Tribune (MA)
- Florida teachers told to remove books from classroom libraries or risk felony prosecution | Popular Information (FL)
- Moms in Sumner County fight for the ‘right to read,’ keep books on the shelves | News Channel 5 (TN)
- NCAC demands return of 13 books by Ellen Hopkins to Hernando School District libraries | NCAC (FL)
- Sheboygan school pulls 3 books from library after outrage over sexual content | WTMJ (WI)
- Censoring the school library? Manatee County officials to hold special meeting in battle over books | FOX13 (FL)
- Teachers, librarians & parents argue banning books in HCS will hurt students | WPDE (SC)
- Glen Ridge residents unite to stop conservative group from banning library books | Baristanet (NJ)
- Arlington library board chair claimes she was remvoed to please anti-LGBTQ display policy ‘bullies’ | KERA (TX)
- Alaska library board keeps LGBTQ books in youth sections | Times Union (AK)
- St. Tammany library system hires law firm for potential criminal complaints | NOLA.com (LA)
- 21 books banned at Madison County High School library: Did any of your favorites make the list? | Dogwood (VA)
- Pinellas schools remove book by prize-winning author Toni Morrison | Tampa Bay Times (FL)
- Polk School board agrees to buy books for new libraries as conservative groups protest | Ledger (FL)
- Following banned books controversy, McKinney ISD changes library review process | Dallas Morning News (TX)
- LGBTQ Pride flag display can remain at CT library next to a painted ‘Jesus loves you’ panel. But controversy came first. | Courant (CT)
- ‘Banned books’ debate dominates board of ed open forum | Westport Journal (CT)
Privacy & Cybersecurity
- A bored hacktivist browsing an unsecured airline server stumbled upon national security secrets including the FBI’s ‘no fly’ list. She says what she found reveals a ‘perverse outgrowth of the surveillance state.’ | Business Insider
- GoTo says hackers stole customers’ backups and encryption key | BleepingComputer
- Bitwarden responds to encryption design flaw criticism | Daily Swig
- Everyone wants your email address. Think twice before sharing it. | New York Times
- Before book-banning wave, the FBI spied on people’s library activity | Washington Post
- State of California passes bill to protect children online | JD Supra
First Amendment, Free Speech, & Civil Liberties
- Bathroom bans for transgender youths are poised for Supreme Court review | New York Times
- Judge: DeSantis violated state Constitution, First Amendment in firing state attorney | Miami Herald (FL)
- Ron DeSantis threatened with legal action over AP African American Studies ban | HuffPost (FL)
- Supreme Court puts off considering state laws curbing internet platforms | New York Times
Academic Freedom & Campus Speech
- House majority leader’s new bill aims to overhaul university tenure process | Dickinson Press (ND)
- Florida public colleges say DeSantis is censoring their curriculums | Prism Reports (FL)
Legislation
- Jonesboro lawmaker targets librarians with legislation that could lead to jail or prison sentences | Arkansas Times (AR)
- Bill to classify drag shows as ‘adult-oriented businesses’ clears Arkansas senate | Hill (AR)
- Republican legislators introduce new laws to crack down on drag shows | Guardian
- New bill would ban book vendors from selling obscene materials to Texas schools | Local Profile (TX)
- Proposed Texas law would force content ratings on school books | Courthouse News Service (TX)
- Letter: House Bill 1205 would hurt free speech as well as North Dakota’s most vulnerable | In Forum (ND)
- Letter: North Dakota’s HB 1205 is all about censorship | Grand Forks Herald
- Major corproations back book-banning North Dakota legislator | Popular Information (ND)
- Missouri bill would ban critical race theory in schools and offer teacher training in ‘patriotism’ | CNN (MO)
- Book selection, censorship bill advances in House | Henrico Citizen (VA)
- Students want new books. Thanks to restrictions, librarians can’t buy them. | Washington Post
- How the ACLU tracks anti-LGBTQ bills, and how we’re fighting back | ACLU
- Sweeping education bill clears Missouri Senate committee without anti-transgender provision | Missouri Independent (MO)
- Controversy sparking over proposed bill to oversee public school curriculum | WACH (SC)
State and Local Governance
Social Media
- Sorry, Twitter, but Florida’s war on books is no joke. Ron DeSantis wants to keep kids from reading | Salon
- Bill to ban TikTok is a sweeping resort to censorship that would undermine free expression, says PEN America | PEN America
Information Literacy & Disinformation
- As deepfakes flourish, coutnries struggle with response | New York Times
- Learning to lie: AI tools adept at creating disinformation | AP
- How disinformation has led to genocides around the world | ABC Action News
International
- The freedom to lie? Brazil’s right decries disinformation ‘witch hunt.’ | Washington Post
- Will U.K. rejection of Scottish gender bil bolster independence movement? | New York Times
- Elon Musk’s Twitter faces censorship allegations in India free speech battle | NBC News
Around the Web
- How right-wing groups online stoked a moral panic about school libraries | Daily Dot
- Inside the Supreme Court inquiry: Seized phones, affidavits, and distrust | New York Times
- ‘Judy Blume Forever’ directors on why the author is important for the freedom to read, speech, and women’s autonomy | Holywood Reporter
- I helped thousands of teens impacted by book bans. Here’s what they had to say | VICE
- Texas school district cancels book events with author over social media posts | Axios
- Library holding banned book reading challenge | Soo Today
- Fuel up for the fight: Resources to push back on censorship efforts | School Library Journal
- The long shadow of ‘American Dirt’ | New York Times
- New national study: 1 in 4 teachers changing lesson plans due to anti-CRT laws | The 74
ALA News
- Core Webinar: Best of Core Forum: Publishing and Presenting in Library and Information Science
- February 2023 Online Learning with RUSA
- Core’s Library Resources & Technical Services Journal Goes Fully Open Access
- Submissions Now Open for the 2023 John Cotton Dana Awards
- American Library Association Announces New Transformational Grant from Mellon Foundation
- American Library Association to host first in-person LibLearnX January 27-30 in New Orleans
- Core Webinar: Best of Core Forum: Trends in Library Design
- ALA Store at ALA’s 2023 LibLearnX in New Orleans
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