We are deeply concerned by reports that you have decided to censor Suzan Lori-Parks’ play TopDog/UnderDog which is included in a literary anthology purchased for the Advanced Placement (AP) English classes at City High School.
We write to oppose efforts to remove the book, Sandpiper by Ellen Wittlinger from the Brookwood High School Library. We understand that the book has been challenged by a student and her grandmother who object to the book’s sexual content.
Hempstead, NY » The event was the second of its kind for Hofstra. Students, faculty and staff members read from books that have been banned or challenged, including "The Color Purple" and "Mein Kampf." Marquette, MI» At the Peter White Library, the Teen Advisory Board, which is made up of more than 30 teenagers, met to read from [...]
We have been contacted by local residents concerned about efforts to restrict access to books in the Daniel Boone branch of the St. Louis County Public Library.
Condemnation and cries for censorship formed a disturbing backdrop for the run-up to today's World Leaders Forum at Columbia University featuring Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
news Iranian President Addresses Columbia University » NCAC and NYCLU Issue Joint Letter to NY State Assemblyman Sheldon Silver Condemnation and cries for censorship formed a disturbing backdrop for the run-up to today's World Leaders Forum at Columbia University featuring Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad has been accused of denying the Holocaust, advocating the destruction of Israel, and supporting terrorist [...]
The use of a taser gun and subsequent arrest of a Florida college student this week (YouTube video), raised more than a few eyebrows among free speech advocates. Many of our supporters have asked, "is this a free speech issue, a case of police brutality, or a disruptive student getting more attention than he deserves?” They're all fair questions.
Marjorie Cohn examines trends and incidents that put freedom of inquiry at risk in the nation's universities. An aversion to controversy has resulted, she argues, in a less friendly environment for debate and for different viewpoints at institutions of higher learning. Read more here.
Nearly 300 University presidents have signed a statement denouncing the decision by the union representing British academics to promote a boycott of Israeli educational institutions. Read more here.
Alberto Gonzales, who for months has been the focus of inquiries into the alleged politically-motivated firing of U.S. Attorneys, stepped down this week from his post as the nation's top law enforcement official.
Timothy Hill, the press secretary of first district Congressman David Davis and brother of Tennessee Representative Matthew Hill, is facing criticism. Just days ago, he admitted to using a congressional office computer to edit the Wikipedia sites of both his boss and brother, both republicans, removing what he called inaccurate and unflattering information. The Tennessee Democratic Party is now [...]
What edits on Wikipedia have been made by the CIA, McDonalds , FOX News , and the Vatican ? A new online tool called WikiScanner reveals answers to such questions. As the Web encyclopedia that anyone can edit, Wikipedia encourages participants to adopt online user names, but it also lets contributors be recognized by their computers' numeric Internet addresses. Often [...]
NCAC is concerned that in its efforts to curb child pornography, the government is pursuing a course that will apply overly broad restrictions to speech and images that are not obscene or pornographic, potentially criminalizing legitimate, constitutionally-protected forms of art and speech.
In early August, Blogging for Michigan (a citizen-owned and operated site devoted to Michigan politics) was blocked from State Senate computers by Mike Bishop, the State Senate Majority Leader. The incident recalls last summer's internet censorship struggles in Kentucky, over which a lawsuit is currently pending in U.S. District Court. In this case, rapid response on widely-read blogs helped to [...]
"We can have security and our civil liberties." - Rep. John Tierney (D-MA) Since it was first disclosed to the public in late 2005, the National Security Agency's program of warrantless surveillance has been the focus of calls for investigation by members of both political parties. Concern over this program - and over the lack of oversight by Congress [...]
On July 10, Dr. Richard Carmona disclosed that the administration interfered with his work and muzzled him on numerous issues throughout his four-year tenure as Surgeon General.
A flourishing “marketplace of ideas” is one of the great goals of the First Amendment. It is jeopardized today by an environment of government secrecy that denies the public and even lawmakers access to information necessary to make sound decisions.
The theater class from Connecticut's Wilton High School, whose principal barred them from performing a series of dramatic readings about the war in Iraq, have been vindicated.
“Where the First Amendment is implicated, the tie goes to the speaker, not the censor.” So says Chief Justice John Roberts, in his decision in Federal Election Commission v. Wisconsin Right to Life, which considered whether federal restrictions on “electioneering communication” immediately prior to an election violate the First Amendment.
On June 4th, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled in a 2-1 decision in Fox Television Stations v. FCC that the Federal Communications Commission’s rule banning “fleeting expletives” was “arbitrary and capricious” in violation of the federal Administrative Procedure Act.
Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting (MOFTB) Commissioner Katherine Oliver today announced the release of a newly drafted permit rule proposal, which is available online and published in the City Record.
by Roland Stoy for The Reporter UPDATE: The painting was later showen at an art show less than a block away from the courthouse. According to the artist: "Everyone that saw the painting appreciated it and some folks had strong words for the courthouse officials that pulled the art from exhibit. I felt it was a real coup to display [...]
Just days prior to the confirmation hearing of Dr. James Holsinger, Bush's controversial nominee for Surgeon General, the current and two former Surgeon Generals testified about political interference of that office. At a hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona testified that the Bush administration would not allow him to speak [...]
Recent investigations by the media, and an impending congressional oversight hearing, have highlighted Vice President Dick Cheney and White House Senior Advisor Karl Rove's role in censoring the findings of biologists working for the National Marine Fisheries Service.
I am writing on behalf of the National Coalition Against Censorship, an alliance of 50 national non-profit organizations united in defense of free expression, regarding the recent removal from the Three Rivers Arts Festival of a video installation by Carolina Loyola-Garcia entitled “The need to wash the self with milk and honey.”
The Three Rivers Arts Festival (TRAF) in Pittsburgh pulled a video installation by artist Carolina Loyola-Garcia from display in its “Best of Pittsburgh 2007” exhibition. One of the Festival’s corporate sponsors, PPG Industries, had offered its property for the exhibition but objected to the video installation on the basis that it was inappropriate for display. The video, entitled “The need [...]
In the now-infamous "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" case – Morse v. Frederick – the Supreme Court ruled this week that school principal Deborah Morse did not violate Joseph Frederick's First Amendment rights. Below, we've collected commentary on how this landmark case (the first time the Court has weighed students' free speech rights in over 20 years) could affect free speech in the future.
In July, a fractured Supreme Court issued four separate rulings in Morse v. Frederick, the case involving a high school student who was suspended after standing on a public sidewalk in Juneau, Alaska, displaying a banner that read “Bong Hits 4 Jesus.” (See CN#104.) The result is a narrow but disturbing loss for First Amendment advocates, who are left to [...]
The annual “Art ‘Round Town” (A.R.T.) exhibition brings 42 outdoor sculptures to public areas throughout downtown Saugatuck, Michigan. This year’s favorite among the panel of A.R.T. judges is a resin and bronze sculpture by South Haven, MI artist, Patrick McKearnan. The sculpture depicts a nude toddler writing "Who is responsible here?" on a wall. Having received the most votes from [...]
The state legislature of New York passed two bills in recent weeks seeking to further restrict the sale of video games containing "depraved violence" and "indecent images" to minors.
Update: TAC No Longer Practices No-Nudity Policy July 12, 2007 In response to our concern we received a letter from the Tennessee State Attorney General’s office stating the nudity and “suggestiveness” of the piece was not the reason for the removal of the work. While the facts of the case are still under dispute and the artist is receiving help [...]
Contradicting widely advertised claims of an “uncensored” broadcast, XM Satellite Radio has suspended “shock jock” duo Opie and Anthony for 30 days.
We write to express concerns about the recent removal of the book The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson from circulation in the Bartlesville Mid-High school library. We understand that the book was removed following parent Angela Rader’s objection to homosexual themes and descriptions of underage drinking in the book.
The father of two teenage boys wants $20,000 from his city after his sons found a book on lesbian sex on a public library bookshelf. Earl Adams of Bentonville, Ark., is also requesting that the library director be fired, ac cording to KOCO TV in Oklahoma City. The boys, ages 14 and 16, were searching for material on military academies [...]
Bob McCaslin, Mayor City Hall Building 117 West Central Bentonville, AR 72712 Cindy Suter, Library Director Members of the Library Advisory Board 405 S. Main Street Bentonville, AR 72712 May 1, 2007 Dear Mayor McCaslin, Ms. Suter, and Members of the Library Advisory Board: We write to express our concern about the recent removal of the book, The Whole [...]
Dr. David Flowers, Superintendent Members of the Book Reconsideration Committee Fargo Public Schools 415 North 4th Street Fargo, ND 58102 April 30, 2007 Dear Superintendent Flowers and Members of the Book Reconsideration Committee: We write to express concern about efforts to remove the books, Finding Laura Buggs and Until They Bring the Street Cars Back, both by Stanley Gordon West, [...]
NCAC participated in a March 12th congressional briefing to urge the 110th Congress to protect First Amendment principles, and to remedy damaging measures enacted in the past several years. Here are some of the key issues currently under consideration.
Edward Albee, Stephen Sondheim, Christopher Durang, Marsha Norman, John Guare, and other prominent members of the Dramatists Guild joined NCAC and other free speech advocates to oppose the censorship of a student play about Iraq in Wilton, CT.
The Community Center in Mansfield, CT removed a photo collage by George Jacobi depicting images of the American flag and two sculptures by artist Eda Easton from an exhibition; the former because an Air Force veteran found it offensive and unpatriotic, and the latter because a local mother thought the sculptures were sexually suggestive.
NCAC’s Youth Free Expression Network (YFEN) conducted a panel discussion at the 4th Annual Grassroots Media Conference, held February 24, 2007, at the New School in NYC