Tag: censorship

Copyright as Censorship? A Look at the Early History of Copyright

Fun fact: The concept of “copyright” was not originally created to protect creators’ rights to their content. Nor were early copyright laws implemented to propagate a free and healthy publishing industry meant to encourage new content to be produced. Rather,…

Facing Off in Jefferson County

Jefferson County, Colorado, has found itself the unlikely center of a debate over censorship and academic freedom, a fight characterized by some expected — and not so expected — players. On one side, we have a retired history teacher. On…

High School Students Show Increased Concern Over First Amendment Rights According To National Poll

According to a national poll, this year marked an important shift in how our nation’s youth views the freedom of speech. For the first time since the poll’s inception, the results indicate that American high school students value the protections…

Watch the Google+ Hangout Featuring Cory Doctorow!

Yesterday, free speech lovers around the country got to join Cory Doctorow, author of the novel Little Brother, for a Google+ Hangout on Air discussing the importance of fighting censorship and the value of Banned Books Week. CBLDF Executive Director…

Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn: 129 Years of Rabble Rousing

Since its first American publication on February 18, 1885, Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been the subject of praise and controversy. Following the adventures of Tom Sawyer’s lively comrade Huck Finn, the novel is among the first…

Community Divided Over The House of the Spirits as Final Banning Decision Draws Near

Back in November, CBLDF co-signed a letter defending Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits after an outraged parent filed complains against the book being taught in her son’s honors English class. After months of review, the Watauga county school…