Intellectual Freedom News 11/05/2021
Highlights
A modern book burning: LGBTQ-themed books removed from North KC, Liberty schools | Kansas City Star; “The knee-jerk reaction reeked of panic and may have far-reaching consequences. A decades-old U.S. Supreme Court ruling makes it clear: The First Amendment keeps in check the power school officials have to remove books from school libraries because of content.”
Censorship
- Graphic novel pulled from Olympic High shelves, but parent wants school prosecuted over book | Kitsap Sun
- Book’s graphic sexual content sparks clash between parents, school board in NK | Independent (RI)
- Kenai Peninsula teachers allege censorship of books with LGBTQ themes | KTOO
- ‘The school needs to be a safe haven’ | Juneau Empire
- North Hunterdon and Voorhees students speak out against call to ban ‘obscene’ books | MyCentralJersey.com
- New Jersey school district omits librarians from review of several LGBTQ+ library books | National Coalition Against Censorship
- How Brad Meltzer, best-selling author, fought a book ban | Freedom Forum
- Op-Ed: Book banning in 2021? Why my book has been removed from school shelves | Los Angeles Times
- Opinion: Schools are banning my book. But queer kids need queer stories. | The Washington Post
- A Texas lawmaker is targeting 850 books that he says could make students feel uneasy | Houston Public Media
- Editorial: List requests open door to book bans | San Antonio Express-News
- Texas lawmakers considering a ban of 850 books. Here’s the full list. | BoingBoing
- Texas governor adopts lawmaker’s probe of books in schools | AP
- Texas lawmaker keeping mum on inquiry into what books students can access as school districts grapple with how to respond | Texas Tribune
- Austin, Dallas school districts defy Texas House probe into library books dealing with race and sexuality | Axios
- Texas Teachers and Librarians Share Why They’re Fighting for #Freadom | We Are Teachers
- Texas governor writes puzzling letter about ‘pornography’ in school libraries as new culture war targets literature | Independent
- Grieder: Texas Republicans’ book-banning brigade is broader than they say. It needs to end. | Houston Chronicle
- Why teachers are struggling with Texas’ critical race theory law | Houston Chronicle
- Another book pulled from Spring Branch ISD as statewide book investigation underway | ABC 13
- Keller ISD removes book from library after parent concerns about graphic sexual imagery | Star Telegram [paywalled]
- Debate over teaching books by Black authors has roots in violent 1974 clash in West Virginia | The Washington Post
- The woman who wanted Beloved banned from schools is right about one thing | Slate
- Henrico schools removes novel ‘Out of Darkness’ as gubernatorial candidates spar on book censorship | Richmond Times Dispatch
- Banning books in schools is not the answer — Commentary | Orlando Sentinel
- ‘Gender Queer’ book removed from Orange school libraries after parent complaint | Orlando Sentinel
- Parents bring ‘unacceptable’ book in library to DuBois [PA] school board’s attention | Courier Express
- Washington County [Utah] parents want to ban some books from their schools’ libraries | KUER
- Waukee [Iowa] district pulls controversial LGBTQ-themed books from library | KCCI
- Iowa school board candidate wants to share the name of every kid who checks out pro-LGBTQ books | Jezebel
- Teen LGBTQ, sex education book in Lafayette Parish library challenged as pornography | The Advocate
- Parents question material available to Rockwood [Missouri] students | Leader
Privacy & Cybersecurity
- Summary of the GAO report on federal use of facial recognition technology | Lawfare
- People, homes vanish due to 2020 census’ new privacy method | Stamford Advocate
- A new era for the FTC and U.S. privacy? House Reconciliation Bill would give the FTC $500 million to build a new privacy bureau | JDSupra
- Facebook, citing societal concerns, plans to shut down facial recognition system | The New York Times
More privacy news is available at the Voices for Privacy blog.
First Amendment, Free Speech, & Civil Liberties
- Newberg teachers sue district, school board members over ‘political’ image ban in schools | Oregon Public Broadcasting
- A man gave a Nazi salute at a school board meeting to oppose mask rules. Ted Cruz defended it as a form of protest. | The Washington Post
- Free speech, hate and Penn State: What First Amendment experts say about Milo Yiannopoulos controversy | Centre Daily Times
- The Supreme Court declines to determine if you have a First Amendment right to film the police | Reason
- Supreme Court hears free speech case on politician’s censure | The New York Times
- Lawsuit: Anti-Muslim prejudice prompted city to block mosque | AP
- Cops arrested her for exercising her First Amendment rights. They got qualified immunity–but the appeals court wasn’t having it. | Reason
- The First Amendment Adrift? | ACS 2020-2021 Supreme Court Review
Copyright
Net Neutrality & Broadband Access
Academic Freedom & Campus Speech
- Florida Bars State Professors From Testifying in Voting Rights Case | The New York Times
- University of Florida prohibits professors from testifying in voting rights suit | Tampa Bay Times
- Florida blocks professors form testifying against voting law pushed by DeSantis | Politico
- Accreditor: Did University of Florida violate academic freedom standards by blocking professors’ testimony? | Gainesville Sun
- UF clarifies that professors can testify in suit, under certain conditions | News 4 Jax
- Five additional professors say UF tried silencing them from testifying against state | Independent Florida Alligator
- In Florida, a Firestorm Over Silenced University Professors Grows | New York Times
- Attacks on Tenure, in Georgia and Beyond | The New York Times
- Florida is a five-alarm fire for academic freedom | The Chronicle of Higher Education
Social Media
- Twitter’s new strategy to fight climate lies: Give users accurate information first | The Washington Post
Information Literacy & Disinformation
- Contagion: Threats and disinformation spread across the country in the wake of the Capitol siege, shaking the underpinnings of American democracy. | The Washington Post
- Oil executives grilled over industry’s role in climate disinformation | The New York Times
- Not Everyone in New York Wanted the Coronavirus to Lose | The New York Times
- A brief history of online influence operations | Lawfare
- Smartmatic is now suing Newsmax and OAN for ‘disinformation campaign’ | CNN
International News
- Ontario school board reviews every book in every library to cull those ‘harmful’ to students | National Post
- Before removing books, officials must explain why | Waterloo Region Record
- Singapore bans book about censorship for including Charlie Hebdo cartoons | DW
- Toowoomba councillor calls for review of children’s books about racism, gender identity | ABC
Around the Web
- Stunning survey gives grim view of flourishing anti-democratic opinions | The Hill
- ‘We are at the book-banning stage of authoritarianism’: Mehdi Hasan sheds light on new GOP censorship campaigns | Raw Story
- Opinion: School boards under siege | The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- It’s time to start voting in your local school board elections | Brookings
- No, the FBI isn’t showing up at school board meetings: censorship news, October 29, 2021 | Book Riot
- Virginia governors race highlights irony of banning ‘Beloved’ from schools | NBC News
- Teton County Library seeks public comment on proposed intellectual freedom policy | Jackson Hole News & Guide
- Police move to protect comic book artists after threats over bisexual Superman | The Hill
- Fake Vaccine Cards Pose Enforcement Challenge as Mandates Rise | Bloomberg Law
- Vote ‘no’ on Lafayette library tax renewal, local NAACP says | Acadiana Advocate
- Vacancies on Lafayette Parish Library Board an opportunity to add to right-leaning trend | Acadiana Advocate
- Guest View: Censorship creeps into the curriculum when it goes unchallenged | Odessa American Online
- Retired school librarian reacts to Texas Rep. Matt Krause’s inquiry into books on racism sexuality | Spectrum News 1
- Letters for Nov. 1: Everyone should read the books Virginia Beach might ban and discuss censorship | Virginian-Pilot
- Point of view: Literature is meant to challenge | Spotlight News
- Glenn Youngkin’s journey from the heights of finance to the top tier of G.O.P. politics | The New York Times
- Stay in your lane, Matt Krause | Reform Austin
ALA News
Awards & Grant
- ALA’s Libraries Transforming Communities Initiative for Small/Rural Libraries Funds 100 New Projects Nationwide
- Registration open for 2021 Children’s Literature Lecture Celebration honoring Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop
eLearning
Publishing
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