Intellectual Freedom News 04/14/2023
Highlights
- ALA launches Policy Corps cadre for proactive advocacy on book banning | ALA News
- Here’s how parents can fight book bans in their kids’ school libraries | AL.com
- Hohl wins 2024-2025 ALA presidency | ALA News
Censorship
- NCAC protests Sioux City Community Schools’ removal of This Book is Gay from libraries | NCAC (IA)
- NCAC writes to school board in Iowa City about the temporary removal of Juno Dawson’s This Book is Gay | NCAC (IA)
- Texas County to consider shutting down library after book ban ruling | Publishers Weekly (TX)
- The book censorship movement has touched Rhode Island and librarians and organizations are responding with measures aimed at protecting freedoms and access — and librarians themselves | Ocean State Stories (RI)
- Illustrated Anne Frank book removed by Florida school | AP (FL)
- A year later, Georgia’s ‘book banning’ law normalizes censorship in schools | Georgia Recorder (GA)
- CT library adopts new policy after town leader’s decision to pull transgender themed book from display | Hartford Courant (CT)
- Citizens Defending Freedom to challenge graphic novel ‘Assassination Classroom’ | Fox13 (FL)
- Some in Brookfield want to ban ‘vulgar’ ‘This Book is Gay.’ Others ay they’re ‘targeting LGBTQ books’ | NewsTimes (CT)
- Oregon school district pulls 36 books after 2 parents complain, sparking student protests | Oregon Live (OR)
- Ruidoso School Board holds discussion on controversial books | KRQE (NM)
- Sunol parents speak out after trustee Hurley wades into San Ramon Valley school board debate over gender identity book | Pleasanton Weekly (CA)
- Lincolnwood library candidates who opposed book restrictions win election | Chicago Tribune (IL)
- Drag queen story hour prompts controversy in Lake Luzerne | Times Union (NY)
- Pahrump library trustees: LGBTQ books need scrutiny for kids’ sake | Pahrump Valley Times (NV)
- 2 Pinellas men challenged 7 books, but don’t want them banned. Here’s why. | Tampa Bay Times (FL)
- State canceled school club’s queer alliance Drag and Donuts, here’s what students did next | Education Week (FL)
- Book challenges in SD as group plans meeting | KELO (SD)
- Another author visits Central Bucks to speak out against potential book bans | Philadelphia Inquirer (PA)
- Adisory board votes to keep book on relationships and sexuality in teen section of Ketchikan Public Library | KRBD (AK)
- St. Lucie County School Board decides not to remove 16 books | WPTV (FL)
- Oregon school library org ‘concerned’ amid growing book ban push | KOIN (OR)
Privacy & Cybersecurity
- Five things to know about NSA mass surveillance and the coming fight in congress | ACLU
- Inside the surveillance state’s propaganda machine | New Republic
First Amendment, Free Speech, & Civil Liberties
- Judge invalidates FDA approval of the abortion pill mifepristone | New York Times
- Idaho attorney gefneral’s legal opinion on abortion may violate First Amendment | KTVB (ID)
Academic Freedom & Campus Speech
- At Stanford Law School, the dean takes a stand for free speech. Will it work? | New York Times
- Professors say House Bill 999 would be horrific for academic freedom at Florida’s state universities | WUSF (FL)
Legislation
- Missouri House Republicans defund public libraries: report | AlterNet (MO)
- Local concern over House of Representatives pulling funding of public libraries | Columbia Daily Tribune (MO)
- Commentary: Missorui’s new effort to punish libraries is vindictive and harmful | Missouri Independent (MO)
- ACLU calls Missouri Republicans move to defund libraries ‘abhorrent’ | KSDK (MO)
- Iowa City reacts to new legislation that would ban books in K-12 | Daily Iowan (IA)
- TN bills targeting library book publishers, changing polic oversight boards advance | WKRN (TN)
- After targeting CRT, some SC lawmakers want to take aim at college diversity initiatives | State (SC)
- Anti-CRT efforts put forth in 49 states, many schools threatened with loss of funds | Mississippi Free Press
- Senate approves ‘CRT bill’ to fire professors for ‘compelling’ students to adopt certain political beliefs | KVUE (TX)
Journalism & Media
Social Media
- Elon Musk’s free-speech charade is over | Atlantic
Disinformation & Media Literacy
- Can we no longer believe anything we see? | New York Times
- Mailer faslely accuses Kent Distrcit Library of hosting drag queen reading hours ahead of election | Michigan Live (MI)
- Anti-LGBTQ disinformations urges online after US shootings | France 24
International
- Streaming into Southeast Asia, Netflix faces repeated cenorship demands | Washington Post
- Censorship of library books erased sex from print and allowed abuses to flourish | Irish Examiner
Around the Web
- If at first you don’t succeed, defund the public library | Popular Information
- Yeshiva University’s ban on LGBTQ club leads to scrutiny of funding | New York Times
- Why is there debate over drag shows? | ABC10
- The myth of ‘woke’ indoctrination of students | Hill
- As book banning becomes more popular, experts say some libraries will just close | 74
- Republican efforts to be the party of parents suffers a setback | Washington Post
ALA News
- Elisandro (Alex) Cabada elected vice-president/president-elect
- Tracie D. Hall named to TIME’s Annual TIME100 List of the 100 Most Influential People in the World
- Calzada Elected 2024-2025 AASL President
- Public Libraries magazine announces 2023 Feature Article Contest winners
- Core Webinar: Secrets to Crafting a Winning Webinar Series
- 2023 IRRT Mission Enhancement Grant winner announced
- ALA remembers Bill Ott (1947-2023), Booklist Editor and Publisher
- Core Webinar: Small Library Assessment Hills You Can Climb
- The social future of academic libraries
- ALA seeks applicants for Endowment Fund Trustee opening
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