Updates

Following a challenge by one student's parents to How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez for sexual content, a review committee voted to keep the book in school libraries and classrooms.

City Manager Lee Ann Dumbauld has invited local artist Lahib Jaddo to exhibit her artwork at the Buddy Holly Center.

Ms. Lee Ann Dumbauld City Manager City of Lubbock P.O. Box 2000 Lubbock, TX  79401 [email protected] Re: Lahib Jaddo December 21, 2007 Dear Ms. Dumbauld: I am writing on behalf of the National Coalition Against Censorship, an alliance of over 50 national non-profit organizations united in defense of free expression, regarding the recent banning of two drawings by artists Lahib [...]

UPDATE: Lubbock City Officials Apologize to Artist and Invite her to Show Work The centuries-old tradition of representing a mother—be it an ancient goddess, the Virgin Mary, or a 17th century Dutch housewife—nursing a child apparently did not stop Lubbock City officials from banning a drawing of a (fully clothed) nursing mother together with a companion piece representing a pregnant [...]

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, chaired by Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-CA), issued a report this week detailing manipulation of climate change science under the Bush Administration. The report describes White House censorship of climate scientists in government agencies, including NASA and NOAA, and the Administration's editing of climate change reports. » Read the report (PDF) » Read news [...]

UPDATE: 'Sandpiper' survives challenge (Tuscaloosa News) The School Board voted to keep Sandpiper on the shelves of Brookwood High School's ...

The Kanawha County School Board in Kanawha County, WV has proposed instituting a rating system for books following a recent controversy over two novels by Pat Conroy.

Dear Members of the Tuscaloosa Board of Education: 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’s grandmother who objects to the book’s sexual content.  We also understand that a committee made up of a media specialist, parent, principal [...]

December 5, 2007 Ann Arbor, MI – The Ann Arbor Film Festival (AAFF) announced settled a federal lawsuit, filed by the ACLU on its behalf, against the State of Michigan. In exchange for the state legislature repealing unconstitutional restrictions on arts funding, the AAFF and ACLU agreed to voluntarily dismiss the lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed in March 2007 in U.S. [...]

An op-ed written by Mary Ann Ellis, the English Department Head at Appling High School, in response to the Appling County School Board's decision to remove three classic texts from the classroom.

See NCAC letter to Montrose High Principal here. Student Cartoons Censored – A Creative Response to Censorship For the past seven years, the art teacher at Montrose High in Montrose, Colorado has displayed the artwork of her students in the school hallways without complaint. However, in 2007, the school principal chose to remove three of the works, which she found [...]

Ms. Jill Myers, Principal Montrose High School P.O. Box 5000 Montrose, CO   81402 [email protected]   Re: Student Artwork Display Dear Principal Myers- I am writing on behalf of the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC), an alliance of 50 national non-profit organizations united in defense of free expression, regarding the recent removal of student artwork from display in the school hallways.  [...]

Ten Little Indians Reinstated A high school production of Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians was originally censored by school administrators because of objections to racially sensitive language in its original 1939 U.K. edition title. The Board of Ed has since reversed that decision, reinstating the play under its revised title And Then There Were None and opening a community dialogue [...]

Letter Opposing Censorship of Ten Little Indians   UPDATE: Play reinstated! Read the Superintendent's Statement November 29, 2007 Dear Members of the Lakota Board of Education: We write to oppose the recent censorship of Ten Little Indians by Agatha Christie at Lakota East High School.  We understand the play was challenged by Gary Hines of the NAACP because of the [...]

We write to oppose efforts to remove the books, The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult and Cradle and All by James Patterson, from the ninth grade optional reading list.  We understand that some parents object to sexual content in the books and have requested that they be removed from the list.

Superintendent Randy Fuller Members of the Shelby County Board of Education 410 East College Street P. O. Box 1910 Columbiana, AL 35051-1910 November 9, 2007 Dear Superintendent Fuller and Members of the Board of Education, We are concerned about the recent decision barring Oak Mountain High School senior Brian Simpson from wearing t-shirts advocating the use of hemp.  Without questioning [...]

Mt. Diablo School District should stand by First Amendment principles in its review of Lois Lowry’s award-winning book The Giver.  We urge them to keep the book on the sixth-grade optional reading list and library shelves, available to all.

I am a proud senior at Oak Mountain High School.  On August 16, 2007, I was forced to remove my shirt that read “Widespread Hemp / Don’t Panic, It’s Hemp”...

The Olneyville Housing Corporation (Providence, Rhode Island) had accepted the idea of having verbal accounts of the history of Olneyville, laser-cut into steel, decorate the metal trash cans commissioned as part of a neighborhood improvement project.

Letter regarding challenges to The Golden Compass in Winchester, KY     Site-Based Decision Making (SBDM) Council Members c/o Principal Luke Wright & Susan Mitmesser Conkwright Middle School 360 Mt. Sterling Rd.    Winchester, KY  40391  October 29, 2007 Dear Members of the SBDM Council: We write to oppose efforts to remove the book, The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, from [...]

WDUQ, a major National Public Radio (NPR) news provider in Pittsburgh, PA, recently refused Planned Parenthood's underwriting funding and informational messages on the basis of the organization's mission. NCAC submitted the following letter to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: To the Editors: We were dismayed to find out that WDUQ rejected underwriting by Planned Parenthood because Duquesne University, which owns the station’s [...]

WDUQ Cuts Planned Parenthood Underwriting WDUQ, A major National Public Radio (NPR) news provider in Pittsburgh, PA, recently refused Planned Parenthood's underwriting funding and informational messages on the basis of the organization's mission. NCAC submitted the following letter to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: To the Editors: We were dismayed to find out that WDUQ rejected underwriting by Planned Parenthood because Duquesne [...]

We are troubled by the recent removal of two books, The Prince of Tides and Beach Music by Pat Conroy, from the Advanced Placement (AP) English classes at Nitro High School.

Parents have challenged a book's placement in the school library at Magruder Elementary School in York County, VA because they object to war references in one of the stories it contains. NCAC submitted the following letter to the editors of the Daily Press...

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.

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 [...]

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 [...]

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.

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 [...]