The Election and Our Fractured Public Sphere
NCAC's Director of Programs reflects on what we do now, to promote speech across political lines, in post-election America.
Band The Slants Take Case on Their Allegedly ‘Disparaging’ Name to Supreme Court
The Supreme Court will hear Lee v. Tam, a case involving a band that considers the rejection of its band name, The Slants, a free speech issue.
Does the First Amendment Protect the NY Times in Publishing Trump’s Tax Returns?
The Times received pages of Trump's tax returns from an anonymous source. Did they have the legal right to publish them?
Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis Responds to Public Outcry Over Racially Charged Art
The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis keeps the conversation going as it responds to anger over racially-charged works in the Kelley Walker exhibition.
NCAC, FIRE & DLDF Letter to Cal State University Long Beach: Re-Instate Play About Race
NCAC has sent a joint letter to California State University Long Beach (CSULB) in response to the university's recent cancellation of the comedy N*GGER WETB*CK CH*NK (N*W*C) at the University's Performing Arts Center.
New PEN Report Discusses Book Challenges, NCAC and Diversity in Publishing
With Banned Books Week on the horizon, PEN's report discusses NCAC's 'multipronged' approach to book challenges and the specific challenges censorship poses to diverse books.
Cal State Long Beach Censors Acclaimed Show, Director Resigns in Protest
A California university nixed a performance of a comedy intended to diminish the potency of racial slurs on the grounds “the performance wasn't achieving the goal of constructing a dialogue about racial relations.”
ACLU Joins NCAC in Protesting Attempts to Rate and Censor Library Books in Virginia; UPDATE: Books Will Remain in Libraries
The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) has today written to a Chesterfield, VA, school board in defense of books on a summer reading list that recently came under fire for containing "sexually explicit" material.
NCAC, Allies Raise Concerns About Oregon Shakespeare Festival Boycott of Bookstore to Protest a Display About Censorship
Signed by 6 free speech organizations, NCAC's statement reminds OSF of the meaning behind a banned books showcase, that more speech is always better than less.
Artist Sues California After Local Art Fair Bans Painting With Confederate Flag
A California law that bans the state from selling or buying the Confederate flag may have unintended consequences on freedom of expression.
Artists Know Your Rights, An Interview About NCAC’s Latest Resource
Artist's Rights is a comprehensive new website designed to help artist's understand their legal rights when faced with censorship. NCAC's Arts Advocacy Program speaks to Creative Capital about the project.
Detroit Artists Face Felony Charges for Protest Graffiti; UPDATE: Artists Reach Out of Court Settlement
Antonio Cosme and William Lucka face a $75,000 fine and four years in prison for protesting the water cut offs in Detroit by graffitiing a Highland Park water tower.
NCAC Supports Letter Protesting Effort to Request US Visitors’ Social Media Info.
NCAC is one of 28 signatories on a letter sent by the Center for Democracy & Technology to the DHS urging the rejection of a proposal to ask foreign travelers about their social media presence.
NCAC to Florida School District: Reject Calls to Remove Book Series From Libraries
TTYL and sequel TTFN by Lauren Myracle were described by Fla. parents as telling kids "to party, drink, cuss, and do other obscene things.”
Virginia Student Speaks Out Against School District’s Prior Restraint Policy
Kate Karstens, editor-in-chief of The Lasso, tells NCAC her school's vetting of her newspaper's articles violates district policy.
Oregon Shakespeare Festival Boycotts Local Bookstore Over Racially ‘Offensive’ Display
The bookstore owner was slammed for her "distinct lack of empathy for the experiences of people of color."
ABA’s Anti-Harassment Policy Continues a Disturbing Trend
The American Bar Association's vaguely worded harassment policy has wide-reaching implications on speech limitations of lawyers
Uni. of Wisconsin-Stout Moves to Censor Paintings of First Nations People; UPDATE: Chancellor Modifies Course, Paintings to be Relocated
The University's Diversity Leadership Team expressed concern the painting's colonial subject matter would reinforce racial stereotypes.
Satanic After School Club Planned To Counter Evangelical ‘Indoctrination’
Club activities will “include a healthy snack, literature lesson, creative learning activities, science lesson, puzzle solving, and art projects.” Students of all religious faiths are welcome to attend.
Comic Strip Pulled Over ISIS Reference
A nationally syndicated comic strip was censored because of a harmless reference to ISIS. But why do cartoons so frequently provoke overreactions?
Jersey City, Censorship and ‘Hypersensitivity’: An Interview With Monopoly Mural Artist Mr. AbiLLity
Gary Wynans, a.k.a. Mr. AbiLLity, sits down with NCAC to discuss the behind the scenes of his controversial Monopoly mural that was censored by Jersey City.
NJ Bill Proposed To Prevent Schools Meddling In Student Journalism; UPDATE: Illinois Drafts Similar Legislation Into Law
The legislation will prohibit the vetting of articles prior to publication—with the exception of those that are libelous, unwarrantedly invade privacy, violate the law, or incite students to disobey school policies.
A Dispatch From The Free Expression Network Student Summit
NCAC attended the Free Expression Network's student summit at the Newseum in D.C.
Colorado Student Punished For Questioning School’s Educational Priorities
Cidney Fisk, an outspoken atheist, says her view on religion and criticism of the school's religion-orientated priorities caused her grades to plummet.
Bill Proposed To Streamline Legal Action Taken On Intellectual Property
The drafted legislation would allow copyright owners to avoid costly federal lawsuits when protecting intellectual property.
Does Apple’s Strict App Store Content Policy Limit Freedom of Expression?
Apple has a mysterious, yet evidently strict, approach to controversial content its App store. Does this limit freedom of expression?
On Violence and Nudity, Facebook’s Opaque Community Standards
After the death of Philando Castile, Facebook delineated it's policy on posts containing violence. It should do the same for all content deemed controversial.
Does The First Amendment Protect Citizens Who Film Police?
Citizen journalism has never been more prevalent. But are the consequences of the prominence of this sort of viral video footage more good than bad?
Previous Advocate Of Censorship Appointed To North Carolina Board of Education
J. Todd Chasteen once described Isabel Allende's critically acclaimed work The House of the Spirits as a 'sex book.'
Jersey City Paints Over Mural Portion After Allegations of Racism; UPDATE: Mural Removed, Affirming Need For Clear And Consistent Public Art Policy
Artist Gary Wynans, a Puerto-Rican-Italian, painted himself in the mural. Residents complained the image reinforced racial stereotypes.
Freedom Of Information Act Receives Milestone Reforms
President Obama on Thursday codified legislation to bolster the FOIA ensuring government accountability.
Virginia MOCA Removes Gas Mask From Artist’s ‘Makeover’ Statue; UPDATE: NCAC Releases Statement On Behalf Of Artist
The museum alleges Polish artist Olek broke her contract when she implemented the mask, intended to provoke thought about environmental damage.
After Parents Censor, Student Drafts Petition In Defense of ‘Glass Castle’
Renae Roscart, 15, considers parents who argued for the reading list removal to be "pretending that sexual assault and alcoholism isn’t something that youths encounter."
It’s Not Censorship To Want More Female Game Protagonists
Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson describes fan pressure on developers to implement more female video games as censorship, but is this fair?
Virginia School District Caves To Parent Pressure, Scraps Summer Reading List; UPDATE: Republican Senator Blasts Librarians For Selecting ‘Trash’, Petition Pushes Back
The Chesterfield County Public School summer reading list contained books that were "pornographic" and contained "vile, vile, nasty language," one mother complained.
Legislating Against Revenge Porn: The Constitutional Pitfalls
A Rhode Island Bill to tackle "revenge porn" was just nixed. But why was this a good thing?
Victory: Court Rules in Favor of Net Neutrality
A court has ruled against Internet providers looking to change the legal classification of internet service, which would have allowed bigger domain names to purchase faster connection speeds.
Video Games and Violence: Our Fear of the Immersive Perspective
A deep dive into the fear that immersive fictional content has historically provoked.
After Orlando, Are Social Media Sites Encroaching On Users’ Free Speech?
In the wake of the Orlando shooting, Reddit came under fire for censoring its user's content. How fair is this accusation?
School Librarians And Their Constitutional Responsibilities
What are the legal and educational responsibilities of school librarians in stocking their book shelves?