“Won’t somebody please think of the children?” It’s the catchphrase of Helen Lovejoy, a character from The Simpsons. It also seems to be the rallying cry of the Russian Federation. Recent legislation intended to protect children from harmful information is…
Category: International
Wagner In Israel: The Unofficial Ban
How much should artistic expression be curbed in the name of cultural sensitivity? How long should a dead creator’s works be judged, not on their merits, but on the political inclinations of their maker?
The works of legendary opera composer Richard Wagner have not been performed in the state of Israel, or indeed even pre-Israel, by the Palestine Symphony Orchestra, since the outbreak of World War II.
Comics Struggle to Gain a Foothold in Iran
Increasingly, young artists in Iran are expressing their love for comic books. Rather than imitate the work found in American and European comics, these artists want to put a uniquely Iranian stamp on their work. However, they find their voices…
American Cartoonist Daryl Cagle Presents Video Conference on Editorial Cartoons for Pakistani Journalists
In mid-August, American cartoonist Daryl Cagle presented a video conference on for editorial cartoonists and journalists based in Lahore, Pakistan. Cagle discussed the impact of political cartoons in the US, and the lack of restrictions on the ideas that American…
Ukraine’s National Expert Commission for Protecting Public Morality Sets Its Sight on SpongeBob
Are SpongeBob SquarePants, Walt Disney, the Teletubbies, Shrek, and the town of South Park, Colorado, banding together to corrupt the youth of the Ukraine? That’s what Ukraine’s National Expert Commission for Protecting Public Morality is now investigating. According to the…
South African Scuffle Over Controversial Portrait Spurs Debate, Censorship
How far should newspaper editorial go to protect their free speech in the face of business-crippling boycott? What dangerous precedents are set by self-censorship? Ferial Haffajee, editor of the South African City Press, faced these concerns at their most difficult…
Media in Myanmar Opposes New Press Council
Last Friday, after widespread criticism of delays in eliminating its censorship board, the government of Myanmar announced that it was forming an interim council to regulate the press until the new media law is enacted. The 20-member council is comprised…
Egyptian Humor Fuels Revolution
As the Arab Spring blossomed in Egypt early last year, people around the world quickly noticed something about the protesters and their signs: they were often funny. But as Satenik Harutyunyan outlines in a recent article for the University of…
Men Arrested in India for E-Mailing Cartoon
When Jadavpur University professor Ambikesh Mahapatra e-mailed a cartoon mocking an Indian politician to friends, he probably didn’t expect to be arrested by local police in a midnight raid. Appallingly, Mahapatra and neighbor Subrata Sengupta were arrested in such a…
Censors in Myanmar Suspend Two Weekly News Journals
Last week, two weekly publications in Myanmar (Burma), The Voice Weekly and Envoy, were suspended indefinitely for violations of the country’s regulations on news media. The suspensions came as new media laws are drafted that officials claim will lift past…