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in support of free expression
The information presented here by the National
Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) may be freely redistributed in its entirety,
provided that readers are informed that the information was obtained from
NCAC's World Wide Web site and that credit is given to the appropriate source
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may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents without
the written permission from the National Coalition Against Censorship.
LAST UPDATED APRIL 2005
©Copyright 2005 NCAC
WEB DESIGN
Jeanne Criscola Criscola Design
NCAC Censorship News Issue #93:
The Long And The Short Of It
- Two members of the Advisory Council on Bioethics
who supported stem-cell research were dismissed recently,
bolstering charges that the administration manipulates science
panels to suit policy. Elizabeth Blackburn, a biologist
at the University of California at San Francisco, and William
F. May, a medical ethicist and retired professor at Southern
Methodist University were replaced.
- A 12-year old student was expelled from St. Pius X School
in Portland, Oregon for listening to rock music at home.
The principal told the parents that their son is "a moral
and spiritual detriment" to the student body for listening
to Rage Against the Machine and Korn.
- A film about the Declaration of Independence, 1776,
was banned in Fairfax County, VA middle schools. In it Thomas
Jefferson told John Adams that he "burns" for his wife.
Adams asks "will you be a patriot...or a lover?" The social
studies coordinator, Sara Shoob, explained that "There's
some sexual innuendo and language, and when you're talking
about the Declaration of Independence, that does not have
to be part of your discussion."
- Protestors and others at Drake University in Des
Moines, Iowa were stunned when a federal prosecutor subpoenaed
the university for records of an antiwar conference called
Stop the Occupation! Bring the Iowa Guard Home! to
obtain names of attendees and leaders of the university's
chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. Although national
outrage caused the U.S. Attorney to retreat, it is uncertain
whether the investigation is closed.
- The Department of Education has denied funding
for closed-captioning for some 200 programs, including Law
and Order, Power Rangers, The Simpsons,
Sanford and Son, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,
and many sports programs. The National Association for the
Deaf's Kelby Brick said, "We are outraged that the department
has taken paternalistic steps to exclude deaf and hard-of-hearing
individuals. Such censorship is offensive and insulting."
- New and Noteworthy:
David L. Hudson Jr.'s report, Silencing of Student Voices: Preserving Free Speech in America's Schools, published by First Amendment Center, examines "zero tolerance" and other restrictive policies in the schools and student First Amendment rights. For more info, click here.
Robert W. McChesney's The Problem of the Media, U.S. Communication Politics in the 21st Century, discusses control of the media and media reform.