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!
Category: News Blog
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Google Ideas Open Conversations About Censorship in New Web Series
A new initiative from Google Ideas, simply called Censored, invites users to a series of conversations with people who are fighting for their right for free expression. In Part 01 of the series, “Painting over the Bullet Holes,” Google Ideas…
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 that was never true), comics have not…
Russian Publishers Too Scared to Print Children’s Book About Animal Detectives
Despite a vague federal law that professes to protect children from harmful information, Russian mother and author Anna Starobinets didn’t let censorship stand in her way when it came to publishing her newest children’s book, Beastly Crime Chronicles. In a…
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 two new bills in the state legislature that would make it easier to challenge instructional materials…
Sedition in 140 Characters or Less: Zunar on the Alarming State of Free Speech in Malaysia
“The Malaysian government has no sense of humor.” This is the polite way that cartoonist Zunar describes his home country’s current administration and their controversial and unjust treatment of free expression in a recent editorial piece he wrote for the…
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 news magazine, publishing dozens of resource…
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 wider comics community,…