Intellectual Freedom News 11/1/2024
Highlights
- With Funding from the Ford Foundation, ALA Announces Community Catalysts: Libraries as Leaders in Bridging Divides Project | ALA
- American Library Association’s Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table (GNCRT) announces establishment of the GNCRT Outstanding Comics Award | ALA
Censorship
- One person challenged 23 Eagle library books, records show. City shields their identity | Idaho Ed News (ID)
- Book Bans Live On in School District Now Run by Democrats | New York Times (PA)
- SC education board’s first book hearing to include ‘1984,’ ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ | Post and Courier (SC)
- ‘1984,’ ‘Romeo & Juliet’ to be considered under new SC ‘age-appropriate’ book rule | South Carolina Daily Gazette (SC)
- ‘Blatantly violative’: Board of Education committee votes to remove 7 books, retain 3 | Greenville News (SC)
- Review board deems potty training books inappropriate for children | KTVZ (CA)
- Roughly 400 Books Removed From Wilson County School Libraries | Nashville Scene (TN)
- Here Are the Nearly 400 Books Wilson County Has Banned From Its Schools | Nashville Banner (TN)
- Mom challenges New Canaan Public Schools over book in her 9th grade student’s class | Stamford Advocate (CT)
- Secret library prompts investigations in Lebanon County school district | WGAL (PA)
- State book ban policies approved for Charleston Co. schools | WCSC (SC)
- Houston father upset over removal of children’s book featuring same-sex parents | FOX26 (TX)
First Amendment & Civil Rights
- The Army of Election Officials Ready to Reject the Vote | New York Times
- December trial canceled in library censorship law challenge | Arkansas Times (AR)
- Court filing seeks to prevent Crawford County library from paying legal fees | Talk Business (AR)
- ACLU Warns Iowa County Auditors to Follow Law in the Face of Requests for Mass Voter Removals Shortly Before Election | ACLU (IA)
- Pennsylvania appeals voting ruling to Supreme Court hours after Virginia made its own ask | 6ABC (PA)
- Hundreds of Pennsylvania voters are challenged based on postal service’s change-of-address database | ABC News (PA)
- ACLU argues to overturn Kansas’ death penalty based on 2 Wyandotte County murder cases | Kansas City Star (KS)
- Loudoun parents sue school board for stopping public comments early | Washington Post (VA)
- ACLU joins educators in opposing first round of statewide book bans, regulations | WPDE (SC)
Academic Freedom & Student Speech
- Harvard Doubles Down On ‘Protest’ Retaliation & Punishes Teachers For Studying In Library | Above the Law (MA)
- My university can show legacy institutions how to build a truly diverse community of thought | Boston Globe
- Defending Academic Freedom Means Defending Amy Wax | Chronicle of Higher Education
- Reagan Was Right, and Rufo Is Wrong | Inside Higher Ed
Legislation
- Pennsylvania’s new law ‘SLAPPs’ back at frivolous suits over free speech | Indiana Gazette (PA)
- State Senate passes bill intended to halt book bans, protect librarians | New Jersey Monitor (NJ)
State & Local Governance
Net Neutrality & Broadband Access
- Net Neutrality’s Fate Hinges on Major Questions Doctrine | Bloomberg Law
- US court questions legal basis for net neutrality reinstatement | Reuters
Journalism & Media
Social Media
- Florida social media restriction, porn age verification law accused of speech violations | Tallahassee Democrat (FL)
- Inside Trump’s Truth Social Conspiracy Theory Machine | New York Times
- U-M study explores how political bias in content moderation on social media feeds echo chambers | University of Michigan News
Disinformation & Media Literacy
- How Russia, China and Iran Are Interfering in the Presidential Election | New York Times
- Foreign threats to the US election are on the rise, and officials are moving faster to expose them | AP
- Video of Ballots Being Destroyed Was Faked by Russia, Federal Officials Say | New York Times
- State Department’s little-known weapon for countering foreign disinformation faces uncertain future | Politico
- You’re Being Lied To About Voter Fraud. Here’s the Truth. | New York Times
- Worries grow about disinformation, false claims and even violence as election nears | Tennessee Lookout
International
- Is ‘The Vegetarian’ inappropriate for minors? School bans spark debate | Chosun Daily (Korea)
- Montreal to shed city hall welcome sign that includes woman wearing hijab | CBC (Canada)
Around the Web
- Project 2025 Offers Cuts to Education, Classroom Censorship and Expanded Book Bans | Mississippi Free Press
- The Satanic Panic That Never Goes Away | New York Times
- Ending the book ban culture war | Editorial | NJ.com
- Empowering classrooms: Educators champion LGBTQIA+ inclusion, justice, and resilience in curriculum | Prism Reports
- Librarians Face a Crisis of Violence and Abuse | DNYUZ
- Voters Are Deeply Skeptical About the Health of American Democracy | New York Times
- CARROLL SCHOOL BOARD | Candidates share views on book ban | Baltimore Sun
- Project 2025’s dire impact on libraries | Washington Blade
- Barricades and Bulletproof Glass: A County Prepares for Election Day | New York Times
- ‘Censorship by Another Name’ | NEA Today
- Ali Velshi Banned Book Club The Miseducation of Cameron Post | Philadelphia Citizen
- The Censorship of LGBTQ+ Content Online Corresponds with Declines in Freedom for Everyone | Tech Policy
- The Anti-D.E.I. Agitator That Big Companies Fear Most | New York Times
- SEL Has Become Politicized. Schools Are Embracing It Anyway | EducationWeek
- Election battles over schools boards intensify as teachers, conservatives vie for influence | San Francisco Chronicle
ALA News
- New from ACRL – “The Small to Mid-Size Academic Library: Collaborations and Outreach”
- GNCRT Announces Two New Diversity Initiatives
- New Research Analyzes Collection Development of Trans Materials in School Libraries
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