Monthly Archives: July 2013

Professors and Advocates Call Out Former Gov. Mitch Daniels for Egregious Censorship Attempts

By |2020-01-03T14:07:26-05:00July 25th, 2013|Blog|

For those of you who haven't yet heard, the Associated Press recently revealed that Mitch Daniels, now President of Purdue University, attempted to ban the works of acclaimed historian Howard Zinn from classrooms in Indiana during his tenure as that state's governor. In 2010, after Howard Zinn's passing, Daniels (seen here in an artist's rendering) wrote an e-mail to the [...]

Read ‘Em and Weep: Quotes from a Real, Live Book Censorship Debate over Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye”

By |2020-01-03T14:07:26-05:00July 17th, 2013|Blog|

The following may inspire tears of pride and/or rage, depending on your disposition. They are Change.org quotes from two petitions: one on each side of a debate over the use of Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and other texts in Adams County, Colorado. Bailey Cross, a student at Legacy High School, is combatting censorship in her district in Colorado [...]

What’s the Harm in the Government Spreading Fear About Video Games? A Lot, Actually!

By |2020-01-03T14:07:23-05:00July 12th, 2013|Blog|

Since our op-ed on New Jersey Senate Bill 2715 landed in the Times of Trenton, and our subsequent letter to Gov. Chris Christie was picked up by video game journalists, we've seen a couple questions pop up in comments and emails. To recap, Senate Bill 2715 would require the New Jersey Department of Education to publish pamphlets, websites and other [...]

Jailed for a Facebook post: 19-Year-Old Justin Carter, State Sensitivity and the Half-Million-Dollar Bail

By |2020-01-03T14:07:17-05:00July 10th, 2013|Blog|

Justin Carter, 19, was jailed for a Facebook comment Have you ever lost your temper and said something in the heat of the moment you later came to regret? Did you end up waiting 5 months in jail for a trial because your family couldn’t make your half million dollar bail? That’s exactly what Justin Carter’s family and [...]

Film Contest 2012: You’re Reading What?!?!

By |2020-01-03T14:24:29-05:00July 10th, 2013|Events|

  Join us for a free afternoon of films and discussions with the winners of our 2012 Youth Free Expression Film Contest! We'll also feature youth-made films from partners, and a special live performance! FREE. Saturday, March 30th 1pm-4pm. Doors open at 12:45pm. New York Film Academy Screening Room 100 East 17th Street in Manhattan N, Q, R, W, 4, [...]

NCAC Talks to the Man Behind Pico v. Board of Ed

By |2022-10-03T16:22:36-04:00July 9th, 2013|Blog|

Steven Pico in 1981 Steven Pico may not be a household name. But for those who champion the freedom to read, he’s a big deal. Back in 1976, Pico and four other teens sued their school district in Long Island, NY, for banning 11 books from their classrooms and school libraries. The six-year battle to defend the constitutional rights [...]

Chris Brown’s Monstery House, Graffiti as Art and Other First Amendment Questions

By |2020-01-03T14:07:13-05:00July 1st, 2013|Blog|

Last week brought us one of those rare occasions where Perez Hilton reported on the invocation of First Amendment rights, as Chris Brown declared he would fight a Los Angeles citation. Brown was fined $376 for "unpermitted and excessive signage" for graffiti he had painted on the outside of his Hollywood Hills home, after neighbors complained that the pictures terrified [...]

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