NCAC Expresses Concern Over Federal Sex Trafficking Bill
The bill risks eviscerating online free speech protections for websites that host large amounts of user-generated content.
San Diego School District Rejects Challenges to Sex Ed. & Anti-Bullying Initiatives
In the face of discord and subjective morality-based arguments, the board stood up for the rights of all of its students to learn in a safe and respectful environment.
Demands to Cancel Dana Schutz’s ICA Exhibit Don’t Help the Cause for Social Justice
Efforts to blacklist an artist over a controversial painting are not conducive to the goal of overcoming racial inequity.
NCAC Criticizes Effort to Use NY ‘anti-BDS’ Law to Cancel Roger Waters Concerts; Update: Nassau Coliseum Stands by Waters’ Shows
Howard J. Kopel’s interpretation of the Nassau anti-BDS legislation seeks to punish an individual purely for expressing First Amendment-protected views.
NCAC in the Ventura County Star: Conejo censorship sets chilling precedent
Ventura County Star, Local-CA, 7/17/2017
On July 12th, Join The ‘Battle For The Net’: An Internet-Wide Day of Action to Save Net Neutrality
On July 12th, NCAC is taking part in the Battle for the Net, which is shaping up to the largest mobilization of internet users ever.
Why NCAC Objects to ‘Restore Campus Free Speech’ Bills
Yesterday, NCAC sent a letter to North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper urging him to veto a bill dubbed as a measure to “restore” and “preserve” free speech on state college campuses. But why would an organization devoted to free expression like NCAC object to an effort to safeguard free speech at universities?
NCAC Releases Statement in Support of Lincoln Center’s Decision to Host ‘To the End of the Land’ Despite Calls to Cancel the Play
Were institutions like Lincoln Center to yield to calls for cancellation coming from the BDS movement or elsewhere, any ensuing conversation would be much impoverished and further polarized.
A Dispatch from documenta 14: An International Art Exhibition in Which Book Censorship Plays a Central Role
documenta 14, an art festival occurring every 5 years, puts the issue of book censorship front and center this year.
Walker Art Center’s Jimmie Durham Controversy: Listening Points the Way Forward
The discussion has brought to light the enduring lack of representation of Native artists in the art historical canon, in art museum exhibitions and in collections. However, it has also shown us a way forward.
Even Limited, Trump Administration’s Travel Ban Will Impact Creative Freedom
The organizations express grave concern that the Executive Order will have a broad and far-reaching impact on artists’ freedom of movement and, as a result, will seriously inhibit creative freedom, collaboration, and the free flow of ideas.
NCAC, NYCLU Oppose Expansion of ‘Right to Publicity’ Laws
Right to publicity laws protect a person’s privacy interests, limiting how their name, image and likeness can be used for commercial purposes. Expanding the laws may impede journalistic and artistic freedom.
NCAC Responds to Walker Art Center’s Statement Affirming Decision to Dismantle Controversial Sculpture
The Walker Art Center has responded to our criticism arguing "NCAC has placed undue emphasis on the work’s material structure over its concept." Read our new response.
DLDF Statement on the Withdrawal of Support from the Public Theater’s ‘Trump-like’ Production of Julius Caesar
"The fact is that, for hundreds of years, this particular play has been understood to be a critique of political violence, not an endorsement of it."
Supreme Court Grants The Slants an Important First Amendment Victory
Given our current political climate we'd be wise not to take the protections afforded by the First Amendment for granted and to protest unconstitutional government action, as The Slants have successfully just done.
Parent Sues School for Forcing Son to Recite The Pledge of Allegiance
When a seven-year-old student from Terre Haute, Indiana opted to sit silently during his school’s daily Pledge of Allegiance, the First Amendment stood up for his decision. But his teacher didn’t.
Free Speech Victory for Florida Medical Community in “Docs vs Glocks” Case
The state of Florida did not appeal the ruling against the “Firearms Owners' Privacy Act,” which prevented doctors from asking patients about their gun ownership.
NCAC Releases Statement Criticizing Walker Art Center’s Decision to Destroy Controversial Sculpture; UPDATE: Sculpture to be Ceremonially Buried
NCAC has issued a statement signed by several national and international organizations, opposing the Walker's decision to dismantle and destroy the controversial sculpture.
Student Press Freedom Bills Continue to Find Success Across The Country
Student journalists who contribute to their high school and college outlets do not enjoy the same level of protections as their professional counterparts. New Voices bills are looking to change that.
New Essay by NCAC’s Director of Programs Sheds More Light on the ‘Culture of Outrage’ Debate
Mintcheva's essay examines and argues for the value of free expression in light of recent controversies over art and racially sensitive content, as well as over cultural appropriation, which have left people to question the usefulness of an absolutist defense of free speech.
How a Culture of Outrage Around Politically Engaged Art Endangers Our Public Sphere
While critiquing or protesting artworks is a vital part of a healthy democratic society, cultural institutions who bow to demands to remove or destroy works that engage with contentious political or social issues endanger our ability to maintain a public sphere where ideas and societal problems can be freely identified and discussed.
Interview With NC Student Whose School Canceled the Yearbook Because of Her Donald Trump Senior Quote
NCAC speaks with Miranda Taylor, a student at Richmond Early College in North Carolina, whose school canceled this year's yearbook, in part, because of her senior quote: "Build That Wall."
Elementary School Bans Students from Possessing 13 Reasons Why on School Grounds
NCAC is in the process of writing to the elementary school underlining that students have a First Amendment right to receive and possess literature, provided the books in question do not cause disruption to school activities.
A Part Time Indian Challenged in Minnesota School District; UPDATE: After NCAC Action, Principal Recommends Book Remain in Curriculum
The objecting New London parents say that the book features “gratuitous and unnecessary” profanity and sexual references.
North Carolina High School Censors Yearbook With Donald Trump Quote
NCAC's letter will underline that a primary goal of the school system "is to exercise the responsibilities of citizenship by promoting democratic values such as free expression, tolerance, and diversity." This includes diversity of opinion.
SIGN: Petition Demanding Congress Strengthen Judicial Protections for Government Whistleblowers; NCAC Joins Open Letter to Trump Admin. Demanding Whistleblower Protections
The petition focuses on the legal rights of whistle blowers, demanding adequate protections to ensure they receive a fair trial in any subsequent court action taken against them.
Anti-Boycott Legislation Violates Free Speech Principles
Even when not enforced or non-binding, anti-BDS bills potentially chill protected expression by singling out the expression of unpopular or controversial views. Such bills seriously and impermissibly undermine core First Amendment rights.
Judge Upholds Removal of Controversial Student Painting from U.S. Capitol; Appeal Planned
The message government is communicating appears to be that young people's opinions concerning such issues are not respected and don't matter.
SIGN: Petition Urging Rejection of Proposal Requiring US Visitors’ Social Media Passwords
The online petition has been launched in response to the news DHS Secretary Kelly is likely to implement the proposal.
Watch What You #Tweet: Youth Free Expression Film Contest Winners
NCAC is delighted to announce our three winners for our 2016 Youth Free Expression Film Contest.
NCAC and the Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2016
Our colleagues at the American Library Association (ALA) this week released their annual list of the ten most challenged books for the year of 2016. What's NCAC's relationship with the book's on the list.
NCAC Objects to Bill Threatening Educational Standards in Florida; UPDATE: Bill Signed Into Law
The bill is vague, allowing challenges and changes to curricular selections made by ideological actors.
NCAC Protests AZ School District’s Unjustifiable Removal of ‘The Kite Runner’ from English Curriculum
The letter argues that choosing to remove a book citing "community standards" sets a dangerous precedent for future book challenges.
An Art Career Intertwined with Censorship: The Murals of Mike Alewitz
A profile of muralist Mike Alewitz describes how his radical politics infuses his work and left him open to many incidents of censorship.
Minnesota Performing Arts Center Censors Play Over Word ‘Mulatto’ in Title; UPDATE: NCAC and DLDF Send Letter to Mayor Kautz
The play offers a perspective on the experience of growing up biracial -- or "mulatto," a dated term used to describe a person with one black and one white parent.
Without Explanation, AZ School District Removes The Kite Runner From English Curriculum
The Arizona school district removed Khaled Hosseini's novel after 5 years on the English curriculum, raising questions about the motivations behind the decision.
Joan Bertin, NCAC Executive Director, to Step Down
Joan Bertin, the longtime executive director of the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC), announced today that she is stepping down from her role in June.
NCAC Criticizes Politically Motivated Removal of ‘Jacob’s New Dress’ From North Carolina Lesson Plan
The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) and 6 other organizations committed to defending the right to read are urging a North Carolina school district to reinstate a children’s book in a 1st grade anti-bullying lesson plan after it was removed following pressure from local Republican lawmakers concerned about its gender-nonconforming themes.
NJ Parents Take Legal Action Against School Using False Claims of Islamic ‘Indoctrination’
The parents claim that the school taught solely Islamic religious practices in a World Culture and Geography curriculum, ignoring education in other world religions.
NCAC’s Primer On The Whitney Biennial Controversy: A Timely and Necessary Exchange
In the aftermath of the Whitney Biennial controversy, NCAC has aggregated the best commentary and opinions on the fraught but necessary incident.