Free Expression During the Coronavirus Pandemic: Timeline
A timeline tracking the free expression concerns raised by emergency measures enacted to contain and manage the coronavirus pandemic of 2020.
NCAC Urges Congress Not to Authorize FISA Anti-Privacy Provisions
NCAC has joined a coalition of two dozen organizations calling on Congressional leaders not to reauthorize several expired provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) authorities by adding them as amendments to a must-pass appropriations bill or other emergency legislation. In a letter sent to Congress on September 14, NCAC and the other organizations argue that these controversial measures [...]
NCAC Opposes Ban of Cartoon Protesting Violence Against Black People
NCAC, joined by ten organizations, is protesting a Texas school district’s decision to remove from a school website an editorial cartoon that was part of a class assignment because it criticizes the use of violence against Black people over the course of American history, including violence by police. The assignment was canceled after the National Fraternal Order of Police complained [...]
The Right to Protest During the Pandemic
Rights to dissent and protest cannot be sacrificed even, and perhaps particularly, in times of public emergency.
Statement on Federal Police Abuses in Portland, Oregon
Editors Note: This statement was first published by NCAC and Defending Rights and Dissent on July 17, 2020. It was re-published on July 30, 2020 to reflect new developments and 45 additional co-signatories. Unidentified federal law enforcement agents in Portland, Oregon, have detained protesters, whisking them away in unmarked cars. This shocking practice is evocative of repressive methods used by [...]
Vermont Principal Removed for Statement on Black Lives Matter
WINDSOR, VT -- The Mt. Ascutney School District Board has removed Windsor School Principal Tiffany Riley from her position after she stated on her personal Facebook account that she disapproved of some of the tactics used by some Black Lives Matter activists. In response, NCAC has written to the school board urging them to rescind their decision to remove Ms. [...]
NCAC Blasts Effort to Block Bolton Book
President Donald Trump is once again attempting to interfere with the publication of a book that he believes is critical of him. On June 16, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit in an effort to block the June 23 release of The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir, a book by John R. Bolton, Trump’s former national [...]
NCAC Calls on Zoom to Defend Educators from Chinese Censorship
On June 15, the National Coalition Against Censorship, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), and PEN America joined in protesting Zoom’s decision to close the account of Humanitarian China, a U.S.-based nonprofit that promotes the development of human rights in China. Zoom acted at the request of Chinese officials who wanted to suppress a virtual meeting commemorating the [...]
Joint Statement: The Free Press in a Time of Crisis
Editors Note: NCAC, joined by 55 organizations, released the following statement on June 8, 2020. The American people have witnessed the bravery of health care providers and other essential workers who have put their lives on the line to fight the coronavirus pandemic. Now that we face another national crisis following the death of George Floyd, it is important to [...]
Social Media Under Pressure Part I: Trump Lashes out at Twitter
Rhetorically framed as defense of free speech, the President’s Executive Order on Preventing Online Censorship, is exactly the opposite: an attempt to intimidate social media platforms into yielding to the president’s views of what speech should be allowed online. While we agree that social media platforms “function in many ways as a 21st-century equivalent of the public square” and share [...]
Free Expression and the Coronavirus Pandemic
Developments in the United States could threaten our civil liberties as responses to the coronavirus pandemic test governments and social structures worldwide.
New Mexico Museum of Art Urged to Reaffirm Artistic Freedom After Removing Project on Fracking
New Mexico Museum of Art chilled artistic expression by removing a project focused on the impact of fracking on the local community from an environmentally-focused exhibition over political concerns.
Florida County Rejects Library’s New York Times Subscription Over Political Viewpoint
Commissioners in Citrus County, Florida, recently voted against allocating funds for a digital subscription to the New York Times for county libraries based on political disagreement with the paper.
UPDATE: VICTORY! NCAC Opposes Proposed Protest Fees on National Mall
In August, the National Park Service issued a proposed rule to introduce fees for holding protests on the National Mall, posing a serious threat to Americans' right to free speech and assembly.
Department of Education Threatens Academic Freedom at Duke–UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies
Government intervention into the content of higher education courses is very likely to suppress certain views, chill dissent, and restrict academic discourse.
California Artist Turns Censorship Into Powerful Artistic Statement
Christy Chan turned censorship into a powerful artistic statement in Richmond, California
NCAC and PEN America Oppose New Jersey Education Bill
The New Jersey legislature is considering an education bill that would redefine anti-Semitism so broadly as to infringe on protected speech.
Truth to Power: Film Contest Winners and Semi-Finalists
Over 100 teen filmmakers spoke Truth to Power for this year’s YFEP Film Contest. We invited teens to speak directly to those in power to lead change about issues that matter to them. The 12 finalist films tackled a wide range of polarizing, and often taboo, topics including gun violence, immigrant family separation, gender equality, toxic masculinity, shaming and [...]
NCAC Condemns Removal of Artwork Commemorating Victim of Police Shooting
In addition to likely violating the artist’s constitutional right to free expression, the removal of the work is antithetical to the spirit of Memorial Day and shows a particular disregard for its African American roots.
NCAC Statement on Indictment of Julian Assange
By seeking to punish Assange for the publication of secret information, the Justice Department has crossed a line that threatens the public's right to view information that is damaging to the government.
Florida Anti-Semitism Bill Threatens Free Speech | Update: Bill Signed
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is considering legislation intended to combat anti-Semitism that poses a serious threat to the free speech rights of Floridians. NCAC and PEN America are gravely concerned.
NCAC Condemns Removal of Student Artwork Critical of Police
A student artwork critical of police was removed from a school exhibition in Madeira, Ohio, flagrantly disregarding the student's rights.
The Case Against De-Platforming
Support for free speech is not a dogma never to be questioned. When white supremacists violently march in Charlottesville under the banner of “free speech” while NFL players are penalized for protesting the murder of unarmed black people, can one still insist that those of us standing up against racism and working towards a more equitable society should engage politely with racist ideologues?
NCAC Opposes DHS Surveillance of Activists, Journalists, and Lawyers
Coalition responds to reports of surveillance and targeting of activists, journalists, and lawyers by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
White Nationalists Disrupt Event at DC Bookstore
When a nation built on broad protections for speech faces times of deep political division, it must draw a firm line between freedom of speech and violent conduct or disruptive behavior aimed at silencing others.
Coalition Alarmed by Violation of Student’s Rights in Florida
An 11-year old student was arrested after lawfully protesting the Pledge of Allegiance in a Florida school.
Anti-BDS Legislation in Senate Disregards Free Speech
The Senate considers a bill expressing federal support for state and local anti-BDS laws.
Florida Department of Corrections Blocks Distribution of Socialist Newspaper
Florida prisons impounded four times more issues of The Militant in the past two years as in all the other prisons in the country over the last decade.
NCAC Joint Statement on President Trump’s Effort to Intimidate Book Publisher
The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) joins 16 other organizations in condemning President Trump’s effort to intimidate a book publisher by threatening legal action. The joint statement states that the President’s attempts to intimidate book publishers will fail.
NCAC Joins FIRE and the ACLU Urging the University of Kansas to Restore American Flag Artwork
NCAC has joined the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Kansas in a letter to the University of Kansas (KU) strongly urging it to take a stand against censorship by restoring a public artwork that the university removed last week.
Kansas Governor and Secretary of State Pressure University to Remove Artwork | UPDATE: NCAC Co-Signs Joint Letter
Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer and Secretary of State Kris Kobach separately pressured officials at the University of Kansas (KU) to remove an art display, threatening the free expression of the artist, curator and KU students.
Why (Your) Protest Matters: Film Contest Winners and Semi-Finalists
This year's Youth Free Expression Program Film Contest asked filmmakers under 19 to create films that think broadly about protest, demonstration and change. After receiving hundreds of entries, we are delighted to share our 8 semi-finalist films.
US Customs and Border Control Urged Not to Destroy Art by Deported Veterans
NCAC is urging United States Customs and Border Protection to respect the artistic expression of deported US military veterans and the First Amendment rights of a recognized public artist. USCBP is considering destroying a mural on the border wall dividing San Diego and Tijuana, following a visit to the area by President Trump.
Burnsville Visual Arts Society Removes Painting About Police Killings
Despite winning an award in pre-show judging, a painting by blind painter Annie Young that takes on the difficult subject of police violence against people of color proved too controversial for display by the Burnsville Visual Arts Society at the Ames Center.
Tools for Activists
Resources with useful tips and strategies for students, artists and any activists seeking to drive social change through civic engagement.
MK Asante, Leora Kahn & NYFA Chairs Named Film Contest Judges
The National Coalition Against Censorship continues its support of student-led protests by extending the deadline for its protest-themed film contest to May 15th. This year’s contest invites aspiring teen filmmakers to create short films on the value of protest as an instrument of social change. In the weeks leading up to the March for Our Lives and National School Walkouts [...]
Howard Univ. Students Reach Settlement After Historic 9-Day Protest
Student protesters reached a settlement with the Howard University Board of Trustees... The sit-ins broke the record for the longest Howard University student protest and harked back to historic campus takeovers by black student activists in the 1960s.
NCAC Joins 32 Organizations in Amicus Brief to Strike Down the Trump Administration’s Travel Ban
(Photo: Masha George/Flickr/cc) NCAC joins PEN America and 31 other prominent arts organizations to jointly file a friend of the court brief in the case of State of Hawaii v. Trump, urging the Supreme Court to strike down the third version of the Trump travel ban issued on September 27, 2017. Executive Order (EO) 13780 bans all immigration from six majority [...]
Meet Maggie Budzyna: A Young Filmmaker Determined to Resist Injustice
Maggie Budzyna's debut film, CENSORED, tackles the slippery slope of banning words from public dialogue. We spoke with the 17-year-old filmmaker about censorship, youth activism and the importance of using her artistic freedom to resist injustice. Watch her film and read the interview.
Government Transparency Is Not a Partisan Issue: Eclipse of Sunshine Week
Since 2005 the National Association of News Editors has branded the third week of March “Sunshine Week.” But in 2018, Sunshine Week is looking less bright. Sunshine Week has been obscured by an eclipse. Zach Garrett cautions against allowing partisan politics to obscure the real issues.