Intellectual Freedom News 9/19/2025
Highlights
- Libraries and Religious Freedom, with ALA President Sam Helmick | Interfaith Alliance
- State Library of Ohio among libraries awaiting court decisions, congressional votes on funding | News from the States (OH)
- ALA invites applicants for $3.5 million in grants during round four of the historic Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities initiative | ALA
Censorship
- Documents: LGBTQ book opponents said Crawford County ‘craziness’ would end if librarian pressured to resign | River Valley Democrat Gazette (AR)
- School boards should be part of the solution, not part of the problem | KPC News (IN)
- Residents speak about Drag Queen Story Time at Abilene City Council meeting | KTXS (TX)
- Escambia set to weigh end of citizen book committees as policy revisions advance | WUWF (FL)
- Fairhope Public Library’s funding topic of upcoming APLS meeting | Alabama Reflector (AL)
- Garrett High School graduate upset by school board’s book ban decision | WPTA (IN)
- School Librarian’s Lawsuit Against Parent Highlights Book Ban Tensions and Harassment | Valley Vanguard (MI)
- Federal judge overturns part of Florida’s book ban law, drawing on nearly 100 years of precedent protecting First Amendment access to ideas | Conversation (FL)
- Cleveland County Schools students lose current access to public library resources | Yahoo! News (NC)
- Flying Blind: Fontana library board navigates turbulent times without legal counsel | Smoky Mountain News (NC)
- Quincy Public Library board talks banned books; schedules special meeting for next Monday | Muddy River News (IL)
- Barely read, heavily restricted: the data behind Beaufort County’s school library restricted section | Island Packet (SC)
- Albuquerque Public Schools Board Discusses Nicotine Policies and Censorship Concerns | Citizen Portal (NM)
- Warren supervisors redistribute last of library funding to other departments | Northern Virginia Daily (VA)
- York Library faces backlash over teen room LGBTQ+ decor: ‘Hate has just come to our door’ | Seacoastonline (ME)
Privacy & Cybersecurity
- When Universities Become Informants: A practice from the McCarthy era makes an ugly return. | Chronicle of Higher Education
- U.C. Berkeley Gives Names of Students and Faculty to Government for Antisemitism Probe | New York Times (CA)
- How ICE Is Using Your Data — and What You Can Do About It | KQED
- The N.Y.P.D. Is Teaching America How to Track Everyone Every Day Forever | New York Times
- A DHS Data Hub Exposed Sensitive Intel to Thousands of Unauthorized Users | WIRED
- Police cameras tracked one driver 526 times in four months, lawsuit says | NBC News
- ICE Just Spent Millions On Surveillance Tech Banned By Facebook | Forbes
First Amendment & Civil Rights
- White House Plans Broad Crackdown on Liberal Groups | New York Times
- Florida teachers told they could lose jobs, certifications over social media posts about Charlie Kirk | Central Florida Public Media (FL)
- People are losing jobs due to social media posts about Charlie Kirk | NPR
- Bondi faces criticism for saying DOJ will ‘target’ anyone who engages in ‘hate speech’ | ABC News
- Iowa lawmakers call for termination of ISU employees for online comments on Charlie Kirk | KCRG (IA)
- Free speech alarm grows as White House targets rhetoric over Kirk’s killing | Hill
- Trump Is Firing Federal Workers Over Beliefs He Doesn’t Like | ACLU
- 10 ways to use your free speech without losing your job | Free Speech Center
- Florida appeals ruling on book removals in First Amendment lawsuit | WUSF (FL)
- Supreme Court “legalized racial profiling” in Los Angeles ruling, immigration and civil liberties experts warn | East County Magazine (CA)
- Free Speech At Risk in America’s Schools | ACLU
- Censorship concerns: CCSD principal’s email sparks fierce library book debate | Las Vegas Review-Journal (NV)
- Oklahoma Supreme Court puts new social studies standards on hold | Oklahoma Voice (OK)
- Paxton, Austin ISD reach agreement over critical race theory lawsuit | Austin American-Statesman (TX)
- The Supreme Court Is Making Schools Dangerous For Immigrant Families and Children | Balls and Strikes
- How Trump’s Attacks on Democracy Put the Constitution at Risk | ACLU
- Statement on Political Violence and the Fundamental Freedom of Speech | United in Advance
- Left-Leaning Nonprofits Push Back on Trump’s Crackdown Threats | Democracy Docket
- ACLU Responds to Trump Administration Move Censoring Jimmy Kimmel | ACLU
- Larson and Tong Condemn Trump Administration List Targeting Congressman Larson and Immigrant Advocates Over Criticism of ICE Abuses | John B. Larson
- What we know about school district code of conduct changes | Herald-Tribune (FL)
Academic Freedom & Student Speech
- Texas legislative committees will study freedom of speech on college campuses in wake of Charlie Kirk killing | Texas Public Radio (TX)
- Texas A&M professor fired after video shows classroom confrontation over gender identity coursework | KPAX (TX)
- It’s Not Cancel Culture. It’s Much Worse. | Inside Higher Ed
Legislation
- SB 13: Deep Dive into New School Library Restrictions | Texas AFT (TX)
- Miller-Meeks urges naming new University of Iowa center ‘Charlie Kirk Center for Intellectual Freedom’ | Courier (IA)
- ‘Freedom to Read Act’ becomes law in Delaware | WBOC (DE)
- Anti-book ban legislation and additional free speech protections now law in Delaware | Delaware Public Media (DE)
- Michigan Lawmakers Are Attempting to Ban Porn Entirely | 404 (MI)
- A new CT law seeks to get all schools on the same page about handling library book challenges | CT Public (CT)
State & Local Governance
- Recent state board decision opens questions around Iowa’s book ban law | KCRG (IA)
- Library group’s anti-censorship petition to be presented to Whitmer, lawmakers | Michigan Live (MI)
- Who will lead the Center for Intellectual Freedom at the University of Iowa? | KCRG (IA)
Social Media & AI
- Navigating Algospeak on Social Media | Psychology Today
- Graphic videos of Charlie Kirk’s death renew debate over online censorship | Week
- Republicans put tech firms in a vise on Kirk social-media posts | Politico
- Abortion advocates raise alarm about social platforms removing posts in apparent overreach | AP
- Louisiana Republican demands social media companies delete anti-Charlie Kirk posts & ban users | Arcadiana Advocate
Journalism & Media
- Trump Pressures Broadcasters Over Critical Coverage, Escalating Attack on Speech | New York Times
- Trump’s moves against media outlets mirror authoritarian approaches to silencing dissent | PBS
- ABC Pulls Jimmy Kimmel Off Air for Charlie Kirk Comments After F.C.C. Pressure | New York Times
- After Trump’s Cuts, ‘Crippled’ NPR and PBS Stations Must Transform | New York Times
- Trump files $15 billion defamation lawsuit against ‘New York Times’ | NPR
- Trump Administration Wields Its Full Toolbox to Bring Media to Heel | New York Times
Disinformation & Media Literacy
- Kennedy Said He Wouldn’t Take Away Vaccines. This Week Will Be the Test. | New York Times
- Google Jigsaw: Project Shield & Prebunking | Vision of Humanity
- Foreign disinformation about Charlie Kirk’s killing seeks to widen US divisions | AP
International
- Updated book ban better but still problematic, say experts | Albertan (Canada)
- How Alberta is bringing American book bans to Canada | Ricochet (Canada)
- Europe at a crossroads as democratic erosion deepens, report warns | RFI
- Mexican Allies Raise Alarms About New Mass Surveillance Laws, Call for International Support | EFF (Mexico)
- Chile’s Hidden Library: Attic Discovery Revives the Story of Books Dictators Tried to Burn | Latin American Post (Chile)
Around the Web
- ‘They said I should be purged and killed’: The librarians who stood up for free speech | Telegraph
- Charlie Kirk, Redeemed: A Political Class Finds Its Lost Cause | Vanity Fair
- Republican Legislator Turns Democrat, Credits Gay Son: “I’ve Had Enough” | Them
- Report details rise in anti-LGBTIQ+ rhetoric in global elections | Out in Perth
- The 2025 Freedom to Read Issue | Publishers Weekly
- What’s Next for PRH’s Intellectual Freedom Taskforce? | Publishers Weekly
- Book Banners Are Everywhere. These Lawyers Are Playing Offense. | Publishers Weekly
- ‘That Book is Dangerous’ takes on left-leaning censorship | Cap Times
- Trump Escalates Attacks on Political Opponents After Charlie Kirk’s Killing | New York Times
- Sourcebooks Sees Commitment to Fighting Censorship as Crucial to Democracy | Publishers Weekly
- ACLU Back-to-School Bookshelf: Our Reading List to Build a More Perfect Union | ACLU
- Americans have 400 days to save their democracy | Guardian
- Jerry of Ben & Jerry’s Resigns, Saying Company Has Been ‘Silenced’ | New York Times
- Why Fascists Hate Critical Thinking | Rolling Stone
- South Philly Restaurant Cancels Drag Show Due to Politics | Philadelphia
- Political tensions and tech shifts complicate roles on school boards, study shows | EdSource
- “These Rights are Self-Evident, Not Self-Executing” | Free Speech Center
- How Much Will Your School District Lose? | Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools
- Autocracy, anyone? | Mark Fiore’s Cartoon Update
- Book Burning and Freedom to Read: Transatlantic Connections | Atlantik-Brucke
- An un-American story on book bans | Index on Censorship
ALA News
- Media labs, makerspaces, and creative technology spaces in academic libraries
- New from ACRL – Making Values-Based Decisions in the Academic Library
- Core Webinar: Rebooting Complex, Intractable Library Services
- Empowering student volunteers in the school library
- American Library Association announces 2026 Youth Media Awards Public Announcement Date and Location
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