The network responded to criticism from Democrats, including several Senate leaders and former Clinton administration officials, by editing disputed scenes in the film, and by adding a disclaimer that what was originally billed as "based on the 9/11 Commission Report" is more accurately a "docudrama" with significant embellishments.
The Miami-Dade School Board voted in June 2006 to remove the book Vamos A Cuba and A Visit to Cuba (the English translation) from school libraries. The ACLU challenged the decision in court. NCAC joined five other groups in filing an amicus brief in support of the ACLU's position.
Update: A slew of press reports this morning detailed the blocking of a political blog from all state employees' computers. The move appeared to be an effort to silence the site, Bluegrass Report, which had been instrumental in publicizing recent controversies surrounding Governor Ernie Fletcher. Authorities denied viewpoint discrimination, citing instead the deployment of web filtering software to block [...]
NEW YORK (June 15, 2006) This morning the 18 graduating MFA students from Brooklyn College, whose thesis exhibition at the Brooklyn War Memorial was shut down by NYC officials last month, filed suit against the City of New York, the NYC Parks Department and Brooklyn College, citing First Amendment violations and property damages. The case was filed in the [...]
There's a censorship situation brewing in Utah, and if you're in the state, you may want to contact the Utah State Office of Education, the state Attorney General's office, and/or the high school involved to express your thoughts.
International law firm Pinsent-Masons offers an illuminating discussion of violence in video games and analyzes the "great divide" in censorship measures adopted in the U.K. and the U.S. The "great divide" is also an apt term to apply to the gap between research on the consequences of exposure to violence in video games, and the hype to which fear [...]
Reprinted from patriciapolacco.com. For details on Polacco's allegations and SRA/McGraw Hill's Response, see School Library Journal. To All Educators, Librarians, and Media Specialists Regarding the cancellation of my appearance at the IRA in Chicago for May 2 and 3, 2006: A few months, ago I was approached by The Buchanan Associates in Dublin, Ohio, to appear at the International [...]
In early June 2007, Norman Siegel, the students' attorney, announced details of a settlement between the students and the Parks Department. The city promised to pay a total of $56,750 in damages: $750 to each of the eighteen students and a participating professor, plus $42,500 for the students' legal fees.
By Jamie Malernee South Florida Sun-Sentinel May 5, 2006 A 10-year-old Coral Springs girl won't be allowed to sing a controversial President Bush-bashing ballad at her school talent show after her principal deemed it inappropriate and too political. The song, Dear Mr. President, performed and co-written by the singer Pink, criticizes the president for the war in Iraq and other [...]
Rep. David Wu (D-OR) has written an open letter to the GAO that requests follow up on allegations of "political litmus tests for science appointees, manipulation of scientific findings and reports by political appointees, and politically driven censorship of scientists." The text of the letter is reproduced below: David M. Walker Comptroller General Government Accountability Office 441 G Street, NW [...]
Harry Potter continues to face challenges in public school systems. Most often, this challenges are brought by conservative Christian parents who are concerned that the book contains "witchcraft", i.e., wizards and witches, magic, and sorcery. Want to get involved? Here's how: On April 20, a hearing officer designated by the Gwinnett County Board of Education will hear testimony from the [...]
On April 12, 2006, San Bernardino County Supervisor Bill Postmus ordered Paul Gravett's Manga: Sixty years of Japanese comics removed from all San Bernardino County public libraries. The removal of the book was clearly based on objections to its content, i.e. a few sexually explicit drawings in a section about a manga subgenre.
Supervisor Bill Postmus, Chairman 385 N. Arrowhead Avenue, 5th Floor San Bernardino, CA 92415-0110 Fax 909-387-3029 April 20, 2006 Dear Supervisor Postmus-- 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. We strongly urge you [...]
The American Association of University Professors, the National Coalition Against Censorship, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona oppose ...
Statement from Connie Mitchell, Carmel High School Media Center: There are multiple issues in the Kite Runner incident in Indianapolis. The basic censorship attempt to remove it from the curriculum, and using adult vs YA books in freshmen classes are two. What concerns me the most, however, is "Superintendent Michael Copper has recommended that ALL material used in classrooms be [...]
New York Theater Workshop's suppression of a production about Rachel Corrie is the essence of self- censorship. It is also a betrayal of the theater's mission to "explore perspectives on our collective history and responses to the events and institutions that shape our lives."
March 14, 2006 — Jay Bennish returns to class. See The Denver Post. 100 students at Overland High School in Aurora, ...
The removal of three paintings from Lloyd Marcus’s series "STOREFRONTS” from the Deltona City Hall display celebrating Black History Month is a misapplication of the principle of separation of church and state. While government is barred from endorsing one religion above others by way of prominent display of religious symbols in government buildings, the inclusion of three paintings that refer [...]
FROM THE COALITION from the Student Press Law Center February 21, 2006 WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Supreme Court announced this morning that it will not hear a case that questioned the authority of administrators at an Illinois university to censor a student newspaper that published articles critical of the school. The Court rejected a request by former student journalists [...]
(Click Here for NCAC's December 8th Letter to Superintendent Ecker) Originally published December 9th, 2005 in The Baltimore Sun By Gina Davis Sun reporter Amid a flurry of protests of censorship from across the country, Carroll County's school superintendent said yesterday that he is struggling with whether to keep a popular book for teens out of the district's libraries or [...]
Letter from NCAC, NCTE, ABFFE. AAP, and PEN American Center to Carroll County Public Schools Superintendent Charles I. Ecker Superintendent of Schools Carroll County Public Schools 125 North Court Street Westminster, Maryland 21157 Re: The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things, by Carolyn Mackler Dear Superintendent Ecker: We write to express our concerns about your decision to remove [...]
Hampton University student protesters no longer threatened with expulsion - the University administration has stated that expulsion is "no longer on the table."
John Whitehead Chairman Board of Directors Lower Manhattan Development Corporation One Liberty Plaza, 20th Floor New York, NY 10006 September 13, 2005 Dear Mr. Whitehead- On behalf of the National Coalition Against Censorship, the Brennan Center for Justice, the College Art Association, PEN American Center and other organizations and individuals concerned with democracy, civil liberties, and the arts I [...]
Letter from NCAC, NCTE, ABFFE. AAP, and PEN American Center to Fayetteville Public Schools Superintendent Click Here for a July 24th editorial on NCAC's action July 12, 2005 Dr. Bobby C. New Superintendent Fayetteville Public Schools P.O. Box 849 Fayetteville, AR 72702-0849 Dear Dr. New: We are writing to express concern about efforts to censor library books in the Fayetteville [...]
Letter from NCAC, NCTE, ABFFE. AAP, and PEN American Center to Fayetteville Public Schools Superintendent July 12, 2005 Dr. Bobby C. New Superintendent Fayetteville Public Schools P.O. Box 849 Fayetteville, AR 72702-0849 Dear Dr. New: We are writing to express concern about efforts to censor library books in the Fayetteville School District. According to reports we have received, a parent [...]
A music censorship timeline compiled by the National Coalition Against Censorship.
Websites looking at music censorship and free expression in music.
House OKs restriction on gay-themed books By Michael McNutt The Oklahoman The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Monday to urge library officials to restrict children's access to books with homosexual themes. House Resolution 1039, by state Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City, calls on Oklahoma libraries to "confine homosexually themed books and other age-inappropriate material to areas exclusively for adult access [...]
In March 2005, Lakewood, CO City Manager Mike Rock ordered the removal of an art exhibit from the city's Cultural Center after three City Council members called it "anti-American and anti-military."
Letter to the Superintendent and Board of Ed in Grand Rapids, MI About the Removal of Athletic Shorts March 15, 2005 Superintendent Bert Bleke 1331 Franklin SE Grand Rapids, MI 49501 Grand Rapids Board of Education Board of Education Office of the GRPS 1331 Franklin SE Grand Rapids, MI 49501 Dear Superintendent Bleke and Members of the School Board: We [...]
City Council members Tom Booher, Jackie Herbst, and Ray Elliot justified the decision to remove the piece that they found offensive on the basis that the exhibition was publicly funded. Such a position displays a disturbing misunderstanding of public officials' obligations under the First Amendment.
Exhibition of Greek Goddess Cancelled, Then Approved Roseburg Oregon Posted February 25, 2005 Hebe, the Greek Goddess of Youth, recently embroiled the town of Roseburg Oregon in a conflict of mythic magnitude over the role of public officials in curatorial decision making. Officials of the Douglas County Museum, located in Roseburg, were planning an exhibition on Hebe - a character [...]
We understand that the Education Committee is presently considering a bill, SB 24, to adopt an "academic bill of rights" in higher education. Contrary to what the name suggests, the proposal would restrict, not enhance, academic freedom and intellectual activity
On her second day as Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings sent a letter to PBS in which she pressured the network into canceling an episode of "Postcards from Buster," a children's program intended to teach about diversity. The program, which is about making maple syrup and dairy farming in Vermont, features a household headed by two women. Their relationship [...]
Update: NCAC has been advised that Superintendent Dozier has chosen to retain Whale Talk. We congratulate him on his decision. NCAC Letter to Georgetown School District Superintendent of Schools About Excluding Books From High School Curriculum January 26, 2005 Dr. Randy Dozier Superintendent of Schools Georgetown School District 2018 Church Street Georgetown, SC 29440 Dear Superintendent Dozier: I write to [...]
A mural containing a classical nude has become the target of police harassment in the small town of Pilot Point in Northern Texas. Wes Miller, owner of the gallery on whose wall the nude is painted has received a police notice claiming the mural is in violation of the Texas Penal Code 43.24 banning the sale, distribution and display of [...]
ACLU Says Texas Police Violated Art Gallery Owner's Freedom of Expression Police Forced Artist to Cover Classical Image of Nude "Eve" FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 11, 2005 DALLAS—The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas today announced that it has filed a lawsuit against the city of Pilot Point and its police department, charging that police officers violated an art gallery [...]
Alessandro G. Olivieri, General Counsel NYC Department of Parks & Recreation The Arsenal, Central Park 830 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10021 Re: Notice of Proposed Rule, Title 58, Ch. 2, §2-16 Dear Mr. Olivieri: On behalf of the National Coalition Against Censorship, an alliance of 50 national non-profit organizations united in defense of free expression, and the College Art [...]
Political Satire Out! New York NY Posted December 20, 2004 After a Chelsea Market manager saw "Bush Monkeys," a small acrylic on canvas by Chris Savido, he closed down the whole 60-piece show, which included the work. From afar, "Bush Monkeys" looks like a portrait of President Bush, but when you get closer you see the image is made [...]
In September 2004, publishing trade groups and authors' organizations filed suit in federal court to strike down regulations of the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control that effectively bar U.S. publishers from publishing books and journal articles originating in countries such as Iran, Cuba and Sudan that are subject to U.S. trade embargoes.
