Intellectual Freedom News 12/31/2021
Highlights
- Austin Public Library condemns book banning in Texas | KXAN
- Grover-Roosa: Lange is wrong about the reasons libraries exist | Wyoming Tribune Eagle
Censorship
- America ends 2021 with censorship surge. Will 2022’s new year be better? | NBC News
- Bucks County Pennsylvania school district removes LGBTQ+ books | Los Angeles Blade
- Wake County librarians protest ‘Gender Queer’ book removal | WRAL-TV (NC)
- WilCo approves CARES funds for RRISD LISD after book dispute – Requires removal of 11 books | Round Rock TX Patch
- Louisiana parents, teachers raise concerns about critical race theory in social studies standards | Louisiana Weekly
- Oklahoma bill lets parents ban LGBTQ books from schools and sue if staff won’t listen | LGBTQ Nation
- Censors bypass reconsideration policy | School Library Journal
- Unions, states, and parents fight over new laws on history lessons, books | Wall Street Journal
- Here’s what it’s like when the right-wing mob tries to get your book banned | TPM
- Laramie community responds to statewide controversy over LGBTQ and sex-themed books | Kilgore News Herald
- The quiet effort to change Massachusetts’ education policy | Boston Scope
- How are Texas schools choosing which books to ban? A look at how one district decides | Dallas Morning News
- Opinion: Iowa state Sens. Chapman and Zaun want to take us back to the Dark Ages | Iowa City Press-Citizen
- Wake County librarians protest ‘Gender Queer’ book removal | WRAL
- Osseo School Board votes to keep ‘Born a Crime’ on the shelves | Sun Post (MN)
- Greenville parents bring forward book concerns | Daily News (MI)
- Six controversial books will remain in Rockwood School District libraries | FOX 2 Now (MO)
- Efforts to ban books are on the rise. Philly YA authors say ‘silent censorship’ is also getting worse | Philadelphia Inquirer
- Citrus County board to discuss library display policy | Citrus County Chronicle
Privacy & Cybersecurity
- Beware the Elf on the Shelf, privacy watchdogs warn | New York Times
- Social media faces privacy ‘paradox’ in spotting underage users | Bloomberg
- After Google’s landmark settlement, how ad networks should tackle child privacy | DarkReading
More privacy news is available at the Voices for Privacy blog.
First Amendment, Free Speech, & Civil Liberties
- Teachers say critical race theory laws are cutting short classroom conversations | Des Moines Register
- Court rules in favor of LGBTQ+ students | Anderson Herald-Bulletin
- Courthouse News Service sues California clerks for allegedly violating First Amendment right of access to court records | JDSupra
- Judge rejects Proud Boys’ First Amendment claims in January 6 conspiracy case | CNN
- Texas schools rethink gender-based dress code policies after discrimination claims raise new legal issues | Texas Tribune
Access
Journalism & Media
- School censors lose another battle | Creators
Information Literacy & Disinformation
- Sharing on Facebook seems harmless. But leaked documents show how it may help spread misinformation | USA Today
- Why are authoritarians framing international approaches to disinformation? | Lawfare
- What does it take to combat disinformation? | NPR
International News
- How democracy was dismantled in Hong Kong in 2021 | Associated Press
- Why the Pillar of Shame’s removal marks the end of academic freedom in Hong Kong | South China Morning Post
- Proposed online censorship bill more intrusive than in any other democracy — expert | Times of Israel
- 2021: The year in censored terms on the Chinese internet | SupChina
- China censors news about another female celebrity affair with senior CCP official | Taiwan News
- Russian court orders closure of another human rights group | Guardian
- What the United Arab Emirates new censorship policy means for the film and TV industry | Forbes
Around the Web
- Teton County Library implements new policy to prevent censorship, protect intellectual freedom | Jackson Hole News and Guide
- Ethnic Studies and Critical Race Theory: A Tumultuous Year for OC School Boards | Voice of OC (CA)
- ‘Slow-motion insurrection’: How GOP seizes election power | Associated Press
- These 7 culture wars dominated 2021 and will haunt the years ahead | Fast Company
- Austin Public Library condemns book banning in Texas | KXAN
- Top stories of 2021: Critical race theory and Pa. school board elections | WITF
- Editorial: School board trustees, it’s time to focus on students and not politics | Houston Chronicle
- The controversy around Critical Race Theory and Florida schools | WEAR-TV
- 2021 Person of the Year finalist: Library withstands controversy for sake of LGBTQ+ community | Williamsport Sun-Gazette (PA)
ALA News
Awards & Grant
eLearning
Publishing
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