In a meeting with religious leaders last week, Vice President Joe Biden stated that there is “no legal reason” that the government couldn’t impose extra taxes on entertainment media that depict violence such as movies and video games. Actually, there…
Author: Maren Williams
Perks of Being a Wallflower Pulled from Illinois Junior High School
One of the most frequently banned and challenged books of the past decade has once again been pulled from public school classrooms after one set of parents objected to its content. Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which…
How Comics Conquered Libraries
Not so very long ago, comic books in libraries were exceedingly rare. Even those libraries that did carry comics often relegated them to the children’s department, with little attention given to building a diverse, quality collection. But over the past…
Elmhurst Residents’ Crusade Against M-Rated Video Games Continues
The recent unanimous decision by the board of the Elmhurst, Illinois, public library to keep M-rated video games available for checkout has not deterred those who want them removed. In an article on Chicago-area news site mysuburbanlife.com, Jim Schuetz and…
New Jersey Ponders Restricting Video Games
Despite a 2011 Supreme Court decision that struck down a California law banning the sale or rental of violent video games to minors, New Jersey lawmakers are now considering similar legislation. In an apparent attempt to skirt the Supreme Court…
COMIC MEGA STORE Publication Suspended Due to Obscenity Investigation
Anime News Network reports that publication of the adult manga magazine Comic Mega Store has been indefinitely suspended due to a police investigation for obscenity. The magazine was clearly marked 18+, but apparently still ran afoul of Article 175 of…
Illinois Library Board Votes to Keep M-Rated Games
Here’s some good news on the video-games-and-violence front: Earlier this week, the board of the Elmhurst, Illinois, public library unanimously voted to keep M-rated games in the collection, despite a challenge from a small number of citizens who wanted them…
Captain Underpants Leads ALA’s Top Banned or Challenged Books of 2012
National Library Week is here, and that means it’s time for the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom to release its annual list of the books most frequently banned and/or challenged in public libraries and schools in the previous…
Jefferson Center Issues 2013 Muzzle Awards
The annual Muzzle Awards are out! The Muzzles, presented by the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression, recognize the very worst offenders against free expression in the past year. This year’s list, in no particular order, includes:…
Apple Goes on Censorship Spree
Once again, European attitudes towards nudity and sex have clashed with an American business behemoth. Last time, it was Facebook and Paris’ Jeu de Paume museum; this time, it’s Apple and a French distributor of e-comics. Izneo is a digital…