Intellectual Freedom News 9/26/2025
Highlights
- Legendary Actor/Author/Activist George Takei Named Honorary Chair of Banned Books Week 2025 | ALA
- Meet Dan Montgomery | American Libraries
- How Half Price Books is Staying Vigilant in the Fight Against Censorship | Dallas Observer
- FCC plans to kill new federal hotspot lending rule “one more way to limit access to information” | ALA
Censorship
- Harlingen CISD pauses reading app, book fairs after school library law takes effect | Valley Central (TX)
- Alabama library board will continue to withhold Fairhope funding | Chattanooga Times Free Press (AL)
- Library system loses lawsuit over anti-LGBTQ+ book policy | LGBTQ Nation (CA)
- School superintendent defends teachers criticized for assigning book with profanity to students | Fox News (TX)
- This beloved children’s book was just banned in Texas—along with hundreds more | Chron (TX)
- We Were Removed From a School Library Council Meeting, Is That Legal? | Dallas Observer (TX)
- MP removes 24 books with graphic content | MyMCR.net (GA)
- Citizens speak out on book banning at Garrett-Keyser-Butler Community Schools | WANE (IN)
- Harford County residents debate principal’s Charlie Kirk comments and banned book | CBS News (MD)
- Signs Referencing Climate Change, Slavery, and Other ‘Improper’ Topics Removed from National Park Sites | Outside
- GKB school board hears public comment on book removal | Star (IN)
- A conversation about book challenges with New Hanover County school board member Josie Barnhart | WHQR (NC)
- Tensions remain high at Huntsville Public Library Board meeting following July altercation | WAAY (AL)
- Phoenix libraries move sex-ed books to adult shelves | Daily Independent (AZ)
- To Kill a Mockingbird Pulled from Leander ISD Classrooms due to “anti-DEI” SB12 | Anger & Clarity (TX)
- School Board ‘Privilege’ Fight Continues | My Panhandle (FL)
- Artists claim anti-Trump display at Chicago library was ‘censored’ | Chicago Tribune (IL)
Privacy & Cybersecurity
- AP uncovers U.S. big tech’s role in China’s digital police state | AP
- Los Angeles Times: Predator Drones Shift from Border Patrol to Protest Surveillance | Jimmy Gomez (CA)
- Maine’s RSU39 Parents Receive Entire District’s Progress Reports in Privacy Breach | 92MooseFM (ME)
First Amendment & Civil Rights
- West Point is violating the First Amendment with a crackdown on professors, lawsuit says | Military.com
- ‘We’re All Jimmy Kimmel’ Could Hit A Little Closer To Home Than You Think | Above the Law
- A Statue of Trump and Epstein Holding Hands Is Removed From the National Mall | New York Times
- Trump Appointees Roll Back Enforcement of Fair Housing Laws | New York Times
- As Trump Targets First Amendment, Students Grow Less Tolerant of Free Speech | 74
- The Firing of Educators Over Kirk Comments Follows a Familiar Playbook | New York Times
- Trump pushes Bondi to pursue cases against his foes as he ramps up retribution campaign | PBS
- Trump Demands That Bondi Move ‘Now’ to Prosecute Foes | New York Times
- Court Rules Against Arts Endowment on Trump’s ‘Gender Ideology’ Order | New York Times
- Judge extends earlier order blocking enforcement of DEI ban in most school districts | Concord Monitor (NH)
- Hillary Clinton Sees a Dangerous Moment for Women’s Rights, and Democracy | New York Times
- Fort Worth ISD approves biblical-laced curriculum and new campus model for underperforming schools | NBCDFW (TX)
- Trump Signs Order Targeting Antifa Movement | New York Times
- Over 400 Artists Join with the ACLU to Support Free Speech After Jimmy Kimmel Suspension | ACLU
- ‘America Is Not a Safe Place to Work’: Koreans Describe Georgia Raid | New York Times
- Judges have looked unfavorably upon Trump in First Amendment cases this year | CNN
- Under Trump Policy, Bonds for Immigrants Facing Deportation Are Vanishing | New York Times
- New AAUP Report Accuses Trump of Weaponizing Civil Rights Law | Inside Higher Ed
- Why Is Trump Targeting George Soros’s Foundation? Here’s What to Know. | New York Times
- National Association of Immigration Judges v. Owen | Knight First Amendment Institute
- Peter Strzok, the FBI agent who sent anti-Trump texts, loses First Amendment case over his firing | Politico
- Does Trump’s plan to get homeless people off the streets violate civil liberties? | NPR
- Educators fired after posting about Charlie Kirk allege in lawsuits that their free speech rights were violated | ABC News
- Freedom of speech is a bedrock Constitutional principle | ABA
- Labor groups warn of ‘gaping hole’ in First Amendment if court OKs Trump’s anti-union orders | Government Executive
- ACLU, other groups sue to block Texas’ DEI ban on K-12 public schools | Hill Country News (TX)
Academic Freedom & Student Speech
- U.S. Education Dept. unites conservative groups to create ‘patriotic’ civics content | NPR
- Monroe Community College suspends student newspaper and radio station, citing policy violations | WHEC (NY)
- Iowa Board of Regents approves advisory council for UI’s center for intellectual freedom | KCCI (IA)
- UC Berkeley professor warns of ‘unprecedented crackdown’ on academic freedom | OPB (CA)
Legislation
- Raskin, Houlahan Push to Restore Banned Books to Defense Department Schools, Protect Students from Political Interference | Jamie Raskin
- Delaware bans book bans based on author’s background or partisan, ideological or religious objections | WHYY (DE)
State & Local Governance
- Ryan Walters investigating OK school districts for allegedly not honoring Charlie Kirk’s death | Oklahoman (OK)
- Ryan Walters to resign as Oklahoma state superintendent for private sector job | KOCO (OK)
Social Media & AI
- Meta exposé author faces bankruptcy after ban on criticising company | Guardian
- The Courts Just Made Our Libraries Sitting Ducks For AI Plundering | Lithub
- Government AI regulation could censor protected speech online | FIRE
- YouTube to Reinstate Accounts Banned Over Content Related to the Pandemic and 2020 Election | New York Times
Journalism & Media
- Pentagon steps up media restrictions, now requiring approval before reporting even unclassified info | WBOC
- Judge Dismisses Trump’s Lawsuit Against The New York Times | New York Times
- Trump Says Critical Coverage of Him Is ‘Really Illegal’ | New York Times
- Brendan Carr Plans to Keep Going After the Media | New York Times
- GOP lawmaker says Trump is wrong to threaten the media in wake of Kimmel controversy | CNN
- Award-winning journalist targeted for deportation: His ACLU attorney speaks out | All Rise
Disinformation & Media Literacy
- Moldova’s election faces AI-driven disinformation from Russia | WTOP
- For Trump, Data Is Often ‘Phony,’ Unless It Supports His Views | New York Times
- “Weapons of war”: Disinformation and hate speech pose growing challenge for keeping the peace | United Nations Peacekeeping
- Gabbard Ends Intelligence Report on Future Threats to U.S. | New York Times
International
- Autocrats Move Quickly to Fill Void as Trump Retreats From U.N. | New York Times
- Taliban ban books written by women from Afghan universities | BBC (Afghanistan)
- Owner of Georgian broadcaster called country’s ‘propaganda megaphone’ is based in London | Guardian (Georgia)
- Concern about books on reading list at Budmouth Academy | Dorset Echo (United Kingdom)
- School drops book about race from Y10 reading list | Yahoo! News (United Kingdom)
- “In Pakistan, surveillance is part of the cost of being a journalist” | Amnesty International (Pakistan)
Around the Web
- Hachette Book Group’s Carrie Bloxson Emerges as a Key Voice Ahead of Banned Books Week 2025 | New York Trendy
- What We Can Do About Prison Book Censorship | Book Riot
- Free Speech for Me, but Not for Thee. Plus, Librarians Under Siege | NPR
- We Can’t Let White Nationalism Dictate What Is Taught and Learned in Classrooms | Truthout
- Falling Far and Fast: The Turn Against Free Speech in America | Verfassungsblog
- Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence | White House
- Is 2025 our 1984? The Rise of Book Banning in Georgia | Nique
- Imposed morality: Board’s book ban wrongly sells students’ intelligence short | Journal Gazette
- Abilene pride event sparks debate over drag queen storytime | KTXS
- Samuels Library leadership pushes back against Warren supervisor’s statements | Northern Virginia Daily
- Baker County Library gives away copies of Orwell’s ‘1984’ as part of anti-censorship campaign | Baker City Herald
- Educated We Stand, the anti-Moms For Liberty, brings in Karla Hernández-Mats as new chair | Florida Phoenix
- Trump’s Dream of Infinite Presidential Power | New York Times
- The 25 Greatest Picture Books of the Past 25 Years | Slate
- Banned Books event features intellectual freedom pioneer Pico | QCBJ
- Free Speech Is a Right. Educators Have a Responsibility to Use It Wisely | 74
- The Librarians review – the heroic women battling against book bans and censorship | Guardian
- Library hosts WHYY for book banning talk | South Jersey Media
- Chalmers’ exhibition sheds light on book banning history | Kenyon Collegian
- Drake University to Host Banned Books Week Events Highlighting Intellectual Freedom | Drake University
- American librarians fight back against book bans | Channel4
- ‘His audience was really Trump’: How new FBI lead used his Missouri AG role to wage a culture war | Missouri Independent
ALA News
- New from ACRL – Text and Data Mining Literacy for Librarians
- PLA seeks responses to 2025 Public Library Services for Strong Communities Survey
- PLA Leadership Academy participants announced for Fall 2025
- The Seattle Public Library’s Nourishing Minds toolkit equips libraries to address youth mental health with free and innovative programs and resources
- AASL to Host a Screening of The Librarians
- AI guidance for school librarians
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