Just over a year ago, the cartooning world was shaken by the attack that killed 12 people, including five well-known cartoonists, at the offices of French satirical…
We Are Still Charlie One Year Later
A year ago this week, the world mourned with the citizens of Paris, France, where a terrorist rampage that began at the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo resulted in the death of 17 people, including 12…
Egyptian Novelist Acquitted of “Harming Public Morality”
Last week, Egyptian novelist Ahmed Naji and Tarek el-Taher, a newspaper editor who printed an excerpt from Naji’s book Use of Life, were acquitted on charges of “harming public morality.” The charges…
Five Hong Kong Booksellers Missing, Likely in Chinese Custody
Five employees of Hong Kong publisher and bookseller Mighty Current have gone missing in the past few months, and international publishing and free speech organizations are now demanding answers as to their whereabouts. Editor Lee Bo disappeared last Wednesday, approximately…
National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Gene Luen Yang Names Recommended Reading List
Every two years since 2008, the Library of Congress has chosen a National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. This year we have particular reason to celebrate the announcement because for the first time ever the honor and responsibility has been bestowed on a graphic novelist: Gene Luen Yang!
Google Ideas Open Conversations About Censorship in New Web Series
Publishers Weekly Celebrates Decade of Growth in Comics
In the past decade, comics and graphic novels have transitioned from a niche market to a key component of many publishers’ business models. Previously pigeonholed as the exclusive province of adolescents (even if…
Russian Publishers Too Scared to Print Children’s Book About Animal Detectives
Florida Bills Could Hold Education Hostage to Ideology
Some of the same parents who last summer waged a futile campaign against four books found in Collier County, Florida, school libraries are behind …
Sedition in 140 Characters or Less: Zunar on the Alarming State of Free Speech in Malaysia
Cartoonist Discusses Self-Censorship Epidemic in India
Last month, Indian graphic novelist and political cartoonist Orijit Sen’s cartoon “Punjaban” quickly became a viral hit after it was removed from Facebook when an anonymous user reported it for “containing nudity.” Despite the fact that an outpouring of support…
Attacks on Expression on the Rise Throughout the World in 2015
2015 wasn’t just a benchmark year for censorship in the United States, where we fought more challenges to graphic novels and books than we’ve ever seen. International censorship was on the rise, culminating in literal attacks on cartoonists around the…
CBLDF’s Education Work in 2015
In addition to timely direct assistance and expert legal action, CBLDF maintains a deep, prevention-minded education program that helps fend off censorship crises at the start. We made vast strides in 2015 by launching a quarterly…
CBLDF Takes Legal Action to Protect the Freedom to Read in 2015
Among the many tools in our kit is legal action. For individuals, much of our work is behind the scenes and intended to prevent cases from even reaching courts. To defend the First Amendment rights of the…
CBLDF’s Top 15 Stories of 2015
As 2015 comes to an end, we’re taking a look back at our 15 most-read stories of the past year. In many cases we’ve also included links to follow-ups or other related stories. College Student Wants Graphic Novels…