Political cartoonist Musa Kart was among more than a dozen staff members arrested in yet another raid on a Turkish media outlet yesterday, the latest development in a government crackdown on the press following a failed coup attempt by some…
Author: Maren Williams
Washington Parent Objects to Pixelated Genitals in Mangaman
After coming across one instance of pixelated genitals in the YA graphic novel Mangaman, a mother in Issaquah, Washington, plans to formally request that the book be removed and/or restricted in the library at her 14-year-old son’s high school. In…
A 1950s Critic’s Nuanced Take on E.C. Comics and Juvenile Readership
Looking back on the anti-comics crusade of the 1950s, it is perhaps too easy to fall back on stereotypes: dull, repressed suburbanites trying to force their children to conform and read only what they considered to be “quality literature.” But…
Chick Tracts: Comics in the Service of Censorship
Comics evangelist Jack T. Chick died this week at 92, leaving a complicated legacy of free speech in the service of censorship. Less than a decade after comics were burned and censored by those who saw them as the cause…
Thai Authorities Crack Down on Royal Critics Online and Abroad
Thai authorities are scrambling to quash any perceived insult to their late King Bhumibol Adulyadej following his death on October 13, going so far as to scrub unfavorable results from Google services including the main search engine and YouTube. They…
Parent Complaint Leads to Censorship of Student Mural
A recent high school graduate in Scotts Valley, California is hoping to “spark a conversation about art and censorship” at her alma mater after a parent complained about nudity in her senior art project and she was given the choice…
Documentary The Trial of Mike Diana Coming in 2017
Over two decades after Boiled Angel creator Mike Diana became the first and only U.S. artist ever convicted of obscenity, an upcoming documentary aims to tell his story. Directed by cult filmmaker Frank Henenlotter and funded in part by a…
Serbian Cartoonist Suspects Government Pressure Led to Contract Cancellation
A longtime editorial cartoonist for the Serbian daily newspaper Politika is airing his suspicion that the recent cancellation of his contract came about under pressure from Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic or other government officials. After a statement of denial from…
Zunar Barred from Leaving Malaysia
The Malaysian government’s censorship campaign against political cartoonist Zunar entered a new phase today: when he attempted to catch a flight to Singapore for a public forum, he discovered that he’s been barred from leaving the country on direct orders…
Even Dictionaries Aren’t Safe From Censorship in China
The absurd lengths required to maintain censorship were once again illustrated this week, this time by numerous Chinese consumers who noted that their government routinely “edits” English-language dictionaries before they’re sold, specifically by covering up or otherwise eliding the entry…