Author: Maren Williams

ALA Report Shows Internet Filtering Curtails Free Speech

In a few days we will mark the 11th anniversary since the Supreme Court decided in United States v. American Library Association that filtering of Internet access on school and library computers does not infringe on free speech rights. The…

Raffle of Original 2000 AD Artwork Benefits CBLDF

We just heard that some lovely fans of the UK sci-fi comics weekly 2000 AD have organized a raffle of original artwork to benefit CBLDF! Full details can be found by joining the 2000AD Comic Artwork Facebook group, but some…

CNN Spectacularly Fails To Understand Manga and Anime

As Japan prepares to implement a new law which bans the possession of child pornography but exempts manga and anime, CNN released an over-the-top sensationalist video report this week that demonstrates a profound lack of knowledge about the formats. Much…

Join Us For a Google+ Hangout Featuring Cory Doctorow and More!

Heads up, free speech lovers! This Thursday, June 19, the Banned Books Week coalition presents a Google+ Hangout on Air featuring Cory Doctorow, author of the novel Little Brother, to discuss the importance of fighting censorship and the value of…

A Gamer Asks: Can Games Go “Too Far”?

The constant determined attempts of media outlets and others to draw some sort of connection between violence in video games and in real life have already been covered at length here. But last week Kim Berkley of Artistry in Games…

What Does Japan’s New Child Porn Law Mean for Manga and Anime?

Although production and distribution of underage pornography have been illegal in Japan for (only) 15 years, possession of it currently is not. That will change later this month, when a law passed last week by the country’s House of Representatives…

The Curious Incident of the Wilson County School Board

When books are challenged in libraries and schools, one of the most important things for governing boards and administrators to do is have a clear and complete challenge policy already in place–and to actually follow it. Since last month the…

Florida School’s Cancelling Little Brother Assignment Causes Big First Amendment Concerns

In a letter sent today (below), members of the National Coalition Against Censorship’s Kids’ Right to Read Project expressed concerns over the cancellation of Cory Doctorow’s novel Little Brother, as the assigned text for Booker T. Washington High School’s school-wide summer…