Intellectual Freedom News 1/24/2025
Highlights
Censorship
- Kootenai County library system approves adult-only room for books with mature content as 140 titles pulled from shelves for review | Spokesman-Review (ID)
- Cobb County Schools removes more books for ‘sexually explicit’ content | Full list | 11Alive (GA)
- Darien Public Schools pull immigrant separation book from curriculum after complaint leads to review | Stamford Advocate (CT)
- Our View: Book’s removal sends a chill across library shelves | Post Bulletin (MN)
- Utah students can no longer bring personal copies of banned books to school | KUER (UT)
- How Knox County Schools decided which books to remove and which to keep on its shelves | Knox News (TN)
- Library protects freedom to read with Declaration of Democracy | Buckrail (WY)
- Lancaster Public Library holds firm in the face of conservative funding cuts | PGN (PA)
- Pine-Richland junior creates petition to oppose school board library policy | TribLive (PA)
- List of 95+ books deemed “age-inappropriate” presented to LCPS board during meeting | KRWG (NM)
- Sarasota School Board to decide on science textbooks, cellphone use | Observer (CA)
- Addison County schools weigh parent complaints, controversy over gender-related children’s books | Middlebury Campus (VT)
Privacy & Cybersecurity
- White House asks key government privacy watchdogs to resign | Axios
- FTC Adopts Amended Children’s Online Protection Act Rule | JDSupra
- New Ohio law makes it illegal to sell student data | WOSU (OH)
- Trump Seeks to Paralyze Independent Privacy and Civil Liberties Watchdog | New York Times
- Court Rules Warrantless Section 702 Searches Violated the Fourth Amendment | ACLU
First Amendment & Civil Rights
- Trump’s deportation plans begin to take shape as immigrant communities brace for uncertainty. Here’s what we know | CNN
- Supreme Court will hear case of Maryland parents who object to LGBTQ books in their kids’ classes | AP (MD)
- Justices take up Maryland parents’ challenge to LGBTQ books in schools | SCOTUSblog (MD)
- Delaware ACLU trains activists to repel threats to immigrants, reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ protections under Trump | WHYY (DE)
- As Concerns of Art Censorship Rise in Nation’s Museums, NCAC Encourages Museum Directors, Curators, and other Cultural Leaders to Employ its Best Practices | NCAC
- Trump Administration Live Updates: Justice Department Halts New Civil Rights Cases | New York Times
- 2 blockbuster cases about the First Amendment and online speech | Hill
- In a direct appeal, a bishop implores Trump to ‘have mercy’ on immigrants and L.G.B.T.Q. children. | New York Times
- U.S. Orders Federal D.E.I. Efforts to Shut Down by Wednesday Night | New York Times
- President Trump’s Executive Orders Raise Red Flags for Free Expression | PEN America
- An attorney general explains how states will fight Trump’s birthright citizenship ban | Iowa Public Radio (IA)
- California leaders reject Trump administration order to allow immigration enforcement in schools | EdSource (CA)
- Immigrants’ Rights Advocates Sue Trump Administration Over Fast-Track Deportation Policy | ACLU
Academic Freedom & Student Speech
- Our universities need both free speech and diversity protections to succeed | Hill
- FIRE to University of Texas at Dallas: Stop censoring the student press | FIRE (TX)
Legislation
- At Head’s request, committee strikes his bill that would ban ‘obscene materials’ in public libraries, schools | Cardinal News (VA)
- Stopping book bans is the focus of a new bill at the state capitol | NBC Connecticut (CT)
- CT Democrats introduce ‘Don’t Ban Library Books Act’ amid death threats | Hartford Courant (CT)
- More guns, fewer phones in Wyoming schools – state lawmakers | Wyoming News (WY)
- Anti-DEI bills target instruction in Indiana classrooms, universities | WFYI (IN)
- Bills to restrict or ban DEI in Indiana education advance after Trump and Braun orders | ChalkbeatIndiana (IN)
Net Neutrality & Broadband Access
- What Happens to the Open Internet without Net Neutrality? | Scientific American
- SpaceX Requests Exemption for Starlink from NY’s Affordable Broadband Law for Low Income Consumers | Mix93 (NY)
Journalism & Media
Social Media
- Supreme Court upholds TikTok ban, threatening app’s existence in the U.S. | New York Times
- Trump signs order to end ‘government censorship’ of social media | Washington Post
- Protecting “Free Speech” Can’t Just Be About Targeting Political Opponents | EFF
- Disinformation experts blast Trump’s executive order on government censorship as ‘direct assault on reality’ | CNN
- NCAC Statement on President Trump’s Executive Order “Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship” | NCAC
Disinformation & Media Literacy
- Trump Targeted Scientists in His First Term. This Time, They’re Prepared. | New York Times
- To fight disinformation, treat it as organised crime | Strategist
- Warning of ‘societal threat’ presented by health disinformation | NewsGP
- Trump hits NIH with ‘devastating’ freezes on meetings, travel, communications, and hiring | Science
International
- Vancouver Public Library staff banned from wearing watermelon pins to show support for Palestine | Vancouver Sun (Canada)
- Librarians hold events in secret after bomb threats, doxxing | Australian (Australia)
- Berlin urges tech firms to do more to stop disinformation ahead of vote | Reuters (Germany)
Around the Web
- Readings for people working for the government | Everybody’s Libraries
- Global study shows majority of 18-34 year olds support using violence and disinformation to drive change | Fortune
- How ‘free speech’ became the weapon of conservatives in the US | Le Monde
- Why Costco Isn’t Joining the Backlash Against DEI | Wall Street Journal
- Heather Cox Richardson & Jen Rubin in conversation | Contrarian
- Brace for Trump’s education actions | Politico
- Unreleased Report Details Racism Faced By Teens, Teachers at New Jersey School | 74
- Online censorship in schools is ‘more pervasive’ than expected, new data shows | Imperial Valley Press
- Warning Over Donald Trump’s ‘Catastrophic’ Plans To Cut School Funds | Newsweek
- We need to balance freedom of expression with civility in public discourse | Opinion | Oklahoman
- Book bans: the problem we all should be talking about | Opinion | Knox News
- Open spot to determine future of Metro East library board embroiled in culture wars | STLPR
- County officials, library board spar over library director’s evaluation–again | This Is Reno
- How Tyranny Begins | New York Times
- Trump seeks to end telework for federal workers | NPR
- Conservative activists appointed to library board after stoking hysteria over LGBTQ+ books | LGBTQ Nation
- Open spot will set future of this metro-east library board embroiled in culture wars | Belleville News-Democrat
- This Is How ‘Woke’ Schools Really Are—According to Students | Education Week
- Go all in with us to PROTECT PUBLIC EDUCATION | NEA
ALA News
- Core Webinar: Best of Core Forum; Library Collections Alignment with Research
- Paul Howard Award for Courage Call for Nomination
- Scholastic Library Publishing Award Call for Nominations
- ALA/Information Today, Inc. Library of the Future Award Call for Nominations
- Ken Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship Call for Nomination
- Equality Award Call for Nomination
- February-August 2025 Applications Now Open for the Core Online Course Scholarship for Library Professionals from Developing Countries
- ALA files U.S. Supreme Court amicus brief affirming universal service, E-Rate Program and essential roles of libraries
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