Oklahoma’s Free Speech Fail and the Bigger Picture
The University of Oklahoma's decision to expel two students over a racist fraternity video violates the First Amendment. But what are the deeper lessons about this incident?
Florida’s Climate Change Fix? Nix It
Florida state government officials appear to have a rule about how to deal with climate change: Don't talk about it.
“Censorship in the Guise of Child Protection:” Jonas Tarm and the NY Youth Symphony
A New York Times reviewer offers a scathing response to the New York Youth Symphony's decision to censor a young composer's Carnegie Hall debut.
Music Freedom Day in New York
A quick look at how Music Freedom Day was celebrated in New York City.
Silenced By The Symphony? Young Composer’s Piece Yanked from Carnegie Hall Debut
A young composer's Carnegie Hall debut was scrapped over concerns that his composition, which quotes Nazi and Soviet themes, was offensive.
After Questionable Copyright Claim, Public Library Removes Mother Teresa Painting
Is this really about copyright? Trumbull removes a painting of Mother Teresa from the public library amidst questionable claims of copyright infringement.
Turn That Down! 40 Banned and Censored Songs
Sex, violence, drugs, politics and religion have all been grounds for music censorship. In honor of Music Freedom Day, NCAC has compiled a list of 40 banned and censored songs that we doubt your parents would approve of!
Seuss Won’t Shush: Celebrating the 111th Birthday of the Insuppressible Dr. Seuss
The censorship of... Dr. Seuss? Indeed, the beloved author's children's books have been banned, censored and challenged numerous times over the years.
Attacks on Artistic Freedom On the Rise
A new report shows that attacks on artists were on the rise in 2014-- even here in the United States.
A Brief History of the Censored Oscars
NCAC counts down some of the most egregious cases of censorship in the history of the Oscars — a reminder that the show can often serve as an open, free platform for people to speak out and raise awareness about important issues.
How Chicago Public Schools Dumped Persepolis
Newly released documents show that the 2013 decision by Chicago Public Schools to remove Marjane Satrapi's popular graphic novel from the district's schools was just as dubious and censorious as it first appeared.
Top 5 Forbidden Affairs of the Heart
In honor of Valentine's Day, NCAC has compiled a list of 5 scandalous couples that rattled more than just the bedpost. In fact, their romances sparked debate about the role of free expression, censorship, and First Amendment rights—some even thousands of years later. NCAC hopes that your Valentine's Day is as passionate and romantic—though maybe not as dramatic—as these forbidden affairs of [...]
Censors Never Sleep: On Judy Blume’s Compassionate Legacy
To advocate on behalf of those who cannot speak, sometimes it's necessary to understand what it feels like to be silenced. Judy Blume is a living testament to this very truth, and, for that, we salute her today, on her birthday.
Taking the Power Back: Musicians Stand Up For “Illegal” Rap in Arizona
Is teaching hip-hop lyrics against the law in Arizona schools? Thanks to a controversial law about ethnic studies programs, the answer would seem to be yes.
The Censored Truth of a Guantanamo Prisoner
Published in January of this year, The Guantanamo Diary is an intense account of Mohamedou Ould Slahi's excruciating experiences as a prisoner of the U.S. war on terror. Slahi was detained in his native Mauritania in 2001 before a CIA rendition plane flew him to Jordan for brutal interrogation sessions. From there, Slahi was flown to Afghanistan and then finally [...]
Censored Art: Profanity and Police Brutality
The Charlie Hebdo massacres prompted worldwide calls to embrace and celebrate artistic freedom. But actions speak louder than words. As demonstrations in support of free speech were held in Paris and we all reconfirmed our commitment to an open exchange of ideas, two cultural spaces in the United States-– one a library, the other a university-– censored artwork.
Defying Intolerance, Children’s Book About Dress-Wearing Boy Kept in Classroom
Last December, a guidance counselor in rural Pennsylvania read a children’s book about a dress-wearing boy to a kindergarten class without advance notice to the parents, upsetting some residents in the district.
Top 10 Banned Books that Changed the Face of Black History
Black History Month is as good a time as any to remember that some of the most frequently banned, censored or challenged books were written by African-American authors.
Effort to Ban Toni Morrison Classic Fails in Arizona
Gilbert, Arizona was a censorship flashpoint last year, when the school board tried to remove pages from a biology textbook. This year they beat back an effort to remove the classic novel Beloved from an AP reading list.
Holding Publishers Liable: What’s Wrong with the SAVE Act
Congressional efforts to punish online sex trafficking are overbroad, counterproductive and will chill free speech.
Making Dinesh D’Souza Mandatory Viewing in Florida Schools?
A Florida lawmaker who last year introduced a bill strengthening local control over public schools wants to make a right-wing documentary required viewing.
2013 YFEP Film Contest: “Video Games in the Crosshairs”
Our theme in 2013 was “Video Games in the Crosshairs.” We invited teens 19 and younger to reflect on gaming and respond to those who trumpet a single narrative about video games and media violence. We asked them to show us why gaming matters, what attracts young people to it, what role it plays in our culture and to explore [...]
No Ugly Talk: Why One Alabama Superintendent Barred High Schoolers from Watching Selma
As a number of schools across the country let students watch Ava DuVernay’s rapturously acclaimed Selma for free, one school in Alabama didn’t let its students see the movie at all. The reason? The film contains profanity and “racial slurs.”
Two Wins for Free Speech in Delaware
Good news from Delaware: One school district dropped a plan to limit students' access to certain books, and in another district the effort to alter health curriculum in accord with religious objections appears to have failed.
Professor Labeled a ‘Threat’ for Criticizing University Leadership Files Lawsuit
Last January, we reported on the story of Tim McGettigan, a sociology professor at Colorado State University–Pueblo (CSU-Pueblo) who was an outspoken critic of the administration’s financial management. After CSU-Pueblo President Lesley DiMare informed faculty and staff in December 2013 that “as many as 50 positions at CSU Pueblo” could be eliminated to compensate for a $3.3 million budgetary shortfall, McGettigan sent out a series of mass emails to the CSU-Pueblo community passionately expressing his concerns and encouraging students and faculty to peacefully protest the planned layoffs. But when McGettigan, in a January 17, 2014 email, invoked metaphorical imagery from […]
The post Professor Labeled a ‘Threat’ for Criticizing University Leadership Files Lawsuit appeared first on FIRE.
Hebdo, Hypocrisy and Mendacity
In the wake of the Charlie Hebdo massacre, there are plenty of serious questions to ask about the state of free speech in France--and everywhere else.
Charlie Hebdo and Media Self-Censorship
Many US media outlets are reporting on the Charlie Hebdo massacre--but pointedly avoiding showing the images at the center of the story.
It’s Starting to Get Chilly
And I’m not talking about the frosty weather hitting New York City this week. A new report by NCAC coalition member PEN American Center, “Global Chilling: The Impact of Mass Surveillance on International Writers” finds that government surveillance in democratic countries is chilling free speech, driving novelists, editors, poets, and journalists to self-censor their work. The numbers are particularly frightening: 75% [...]
Resisting School Censors, Students Will Stage Almost, Maine in NC
In late October, NCAC mobilized its partner organizations to pressure school officials in North Carolina's Maiden High School to reinstate a cancelled production of Almost, Maine. Now, the students will be staging a production of the play at an alternate venue.
Northwest Press Defies Apple Censorship of LGBT Content
With the recent rejection of the collected edition of the comic series Fearful Hunter from the Apple store, it looks like comic publisher Northwest Press has become another victim of Apple’s vague content policies. As Apple has become a major digital platform for comics, there has been ongoing controversy surrounding what Apple perceives as “appropriate” content for its digital shelves — specifically when it comes to the depiction of homosexuality. From the confusing initial non-release of Image’s Saga #12 to the outright removal of Sex Criminals from the iOS app, Apple has a right to establish their own content policies to reject any content that they determine to be inappropriate, but the enforcement of those policies has been inconsistent at best. Northwest Press — a publisher best known for their large and varied collection of queer comics, many of which have received critical acclaim and awards — is no stranger, though, to Apple’s policies or their inconsistency when it comes to when and how they enforce them. In the early days of Northwest Press’ entry into the digital marketplace, Apple rejected their illustrated adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest for its depictions of male nudity. As Matt […]
NCAC Joins Worldwide Secret Cinema Screenings to Protest Censorship of The Interview
On Sunday, Dec 21st, NCAC joined Secret Cinema and Spectrum to screen Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator in protest against the cancellation of The Interview. As NCAC noted in a statement regarding the cancellation, threats of violence have become increasingly successful in suppressing cultural expression. Before Sony Pictures Entertainment withdrew its film, The Interview, from all outlets of circulation and distribution, we saw London’s [...]
Neil Gaiman on Censorship and the Perception of Comics as a “Gutter Medium”
In the upcoming Winter 2014 issue of Index on Censorship magazine, political cartoonist Martin Rowson interviewed long-time free speech advocate and CBLDF Advisory Board Co-Chair Neil Gaiman on issues of censorship, comics as a gutter medium, and how graphic novels and literature are still thriving by shocking the mainstream today. With entertaining stories of their own personal experiences with censorship, death threats, and general public outrage over their works, Gaiman and Rowson reassure us that comics are definitely still alive and well and are continuing to impact the societies in which they are consumed. As Gaiman points out in a podcast of the interview, “As long as people are getting upset, a medium is not dead.” In the interview, Gaiman vocally celebrates the mainstream perception that comics are a “gutter medium.” Unlike other artistic forms, comics’ blended visual nature warrants a unique outlier position between high literature and low-brow mediums that inspires people from all walks of life to think, engage in discussion on particular issues, and converse about the world around them. “Comics get power from being a gutter medium,” Gaiman says, and it is this power which has allowed comics to become both a serious point of social […]
Censorship is Great Publicity for Fun Home and Many More
Six months after South Carolina lawmakers finally reached a sort-of-compromise following a protracted debate over the use of LGBT-themed books in summer reading programs at state colleges, one Charleston-area writer looked back last week to reflect on a bright spot in the debacle. As so often happens with any challenge or ban, Charleston City Paper contributor Leah Rhyne pointed out, legislators’ efforts against Fun Home and Out Loud: The Best of Rainbow Radio almost certainly worked in the books’ favor as more South Carolinians opted to read them out of curiosity or solidarity. In a column at Lit Reactor, Rhyne admits that she herself was not familiar with Alison Bechdel before state legislators attempted to defund the College of Charleston’s summer reading program because Fun Home was the chosen book last year. Now, however, Rhyne owns a copy which is patiently waiting on her to-be-read shelf. Indeed, Rep. Garry Smith who sponsored the legislation likely won more than a few new readers for the book with his insistence that it “could be considered pornography.” Of course, Fun Home and Out Loud are far from the only banned or challenged books to experience this phenomenon. Rhyne pointed to an analysis of […]
Supplementation, Not Suppression: Officials in Gilbert, AZ Won’t Redact Pages from a Biology Textbook
In October, a few school board members in Gilbert, AZ attracted national attention when they voted 3-2 to yank two pages from an honors Biology textbook. Thankfully, redaction is off the table after the most recent board meeting.
Private Censorship – Fighting Suppression of Speech by Non-Governmental Actors
Government censorship in the Internet age has been a consistent focal point for free speech advocates. Recent examples of censorship by the American government can be egregious, including the curtailment of First Amendment rights through mass surveillance, overregulation of disfavored speech, criminal prosecution, and outright bans on books, movies, and websites. However, the First Amendment...
IRONY ALERT: Censor Claims “NCAC is Attempting to Censor People of Faith”
Indian River school board member, pastor, and would-be censor Shaun Fink and responded to the National Collation Against Censorship’s recently issued a letter about his demand for a censored health curriculum that would exclude discussions of homosexuality, HIV, STIs, and contraception in the most ironic way possible: He claims NCAC is trying to censor him. The letter to Superintendent Susan Bunting, which CBLDF signed alongside NCAC, the ACLU of Delaware, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, ABFFE, ALA-OIF, PEN America, and SCBWI, outlines the dangers of caving to Fink’s censorious demands: To deny students such information because of anyone’s religious or other personal belief-based objections would raise serious First Amendment concerns and, in turn, compromise our public education system and potentially expose students to unnecessary and significant health risks. During a committee meeting on Tuesday, December 2, Bunting presented the letter to Fink, who calmly responded that he thought it “ironic” that the NCAC, in fighting to prevent censorship of the curriculum based on personal, moral, or religious beliefs, was in turn “attempting to censor people of faith.” As Rachel Pacella of DelmarvaNow reports, Fink sees the letter as nothing more than a “scare letter” being used to intimidate the […]
Biology Textbook Too Factual, Violates Arizona Law?
In late October, the Gilbert Arizona Public School’s governing board voted to have two pages from a widely used honors biology textbook removed on the grounds that its discussion of contraception and common birth control methods violated Arizona law. The state law being cited is 15-115: Preference for childbirth and adoption; allowable presentation. Signed by Governor Jan Brewer two years ago, the law enumerates the ways that schools should teach and emphasize childbirth and adoption options over abortion and pregnancy prevention. As the law states: In view of the state’s strong interest in promoting childbirth and adoption over elective abortion, no school district or charter school in this state may allow any presentation during instructional time or furnish any materials to pupils as part of any instruction that does not give preference, encouragement and support to childbirth and adoption as preferred options to elective abortion. Since early January, members of the Gilbert school board and Superintendent Christina Kishimoto began receiving comments from groups, such as the Alliance Defending Freedom, regarding the biology textbook, Campbell Biology: Concepts and Connections 7th Edition. Their concern was that the book’s subsection “27.8 Contraception can prevent unwanted pregnancy” was in direct violation of Arizona law […]
The Damned Dozens: Art Censorship in 2014
Don’t hold your breath for nipple reveals or cock shows – while artistic representations of nudes remain a regular target of censorship, the most compelling and controversial artwork in 2014 came from artists challenging social norms and exposing cultural fissures. There was the occasional use of female anatomy or children as subjects, but what each painting, photo, or mural on [...]
EFF Joins Amicus Brief in Support of Student Speech on Social Media
This week EFF joined an amicus brief in support of a college student who was expelled from school for comments he made on Facebook.
Craig Keefe was a nursing student at a public college in Minnesota when he posted several comments on his Facebook profile expressing frustration about certain aspects of the nursing program, including what he considered to be favoritism of female students. Keefe also engaged in a dispute with one of his classmates, calling her a "stupid bitch." While his Facebook profile was publicly viewable, he was off-campus when he posted his comments and did not use any school resources.
Keefe’s Facebook comments were brought to the attention of school administrators, who concluded that the comments constituted "behavior unbecoming of the profession and transgression of professional boundaries."
Keefe sued the school administrators under 42 U.S.C. §1983, a federal statute that gives citizens a right to sue state government institutions or officials for violations of individual rights under the federal Constitution. He argued that the expulsion violated his free speech and due process rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendments. A federal trial judge in Minnesota disagreed and ruled in favor of the school administrators.
We joined the Student Press Law Center, American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, and the National Coalition Against Censorship in filing the amicus brief in support of Keefe in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. The brief argues that the First Amendment protects Keefe because his comments, in part, related to matters of public concern, including alleged gender discrimination in the nursing program. The brief also highlights Supreme Court precedent that states that college students have greater free speech rights than minor students, and that off-campus speech receives greater protection than on-campus speech.
While courts across the country have been struggling with determining how much jurisdiction public school officials should have over the social media lives of students, we believe that Keefe’s case involves a clear violation of his constitutional rights.
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