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Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment. Article 3, Library Bill of Rights

Fighting censorship and limited access to materials is an integral part of a librarians mission and job description. Launched in 1982, Banned Books Week is the national book communitys annual celebration of the freedom to read. More than 11,300 books have been challenged since then. The following articles include School Library Journals news coverage of challenged books, interviews with oft-banned authors, and tools for showcasing censored titles during Banned Books Week, and all year.

Features and Interviews About Banned and Challenged Books

Teaching With Graphic NovelsBy Brigid Alverson

While graphic novels are increasingly used as teaching tools, their strong imagery can be a double-edged sword.

Resources for Teaching Graphic Novels in the Classroom By Brigid Alverson, Robin Brenner, and Eva Volin

Good stuff: ten great graphic novels for schools; online resources; information about publishers; and other recommended reading.

10 Frequently Challenged Graphic Novels | Banned Books WeekBy Brigid Alverson, Robin Brenner, and Eva Volin

To kick off Banned Books Week 2014celebrating graphic novelsSLJ presents a list of 10 frequently challenged titles in this format.

Graphic Novels a Gateway to Adult Literacy, Claims Study By Gary Price

Graphic novels and video games have become integral to library collections, and both media can have a large impact on circulation, according to a University of South Florida study. Moreover, readership stats bolster the concept of graphic novels as a gateway to adult literacy.

What You Should Know About Banned Websites Awareness Day, September 24 By Michelle Luhtala

As part of the American Library Associations (ALA) Banned Books Week campaign to raise awareness about the impact of censorship on intellectual freedom, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) also celebrates Annual Banned Websites Awareness Day.

NYPL Censorship Salon Focuses on Self-Censorship, Book Rating Trend By Mahnaz Dar

The speakers at the New York Public Library (NYPL) Childrens Literary Salon, This Censorious World: Books for Children and Their Challenges discussed pressing censorship issues surrounding childrens literature, from self-censorship by authors and librarians to schools that rate titles for appropriateness.

Intellectual Freedom 101: Strategies for School LibrariesBy Karyn M. Peterson

Among the dozens of concurrent learning sessions at the 2013 American Association of School Librarians National Conference, a popular theme was that of intellectual freedom.

Banned Books Week: Celebrate the Right to Read By Karyn M. Peterson

Banned Books Week is an annual opportunity during the last week of September for librarians and other freedom fighters to celebrate banned and challenged books, shine a spotlight on censorship, and honor those heroes working for open access to materials and the right to read for all. See how librarians around the country mark the occasion.

ALA to Spotlight Banned Books Week Heroes During Virtual Read-Out By SLJ Staff

The American Library Association (ALA) and readers from around the world are demonstrating their support for free speech from September 22-28 by participating in a Virtual Read-Out of their favorite banned and challenged books. The event will serve as the backdrop for the announcement of ALAs Banned Books Week Heroes, honoring those people and groups who stand up for intellectual freedom and the right to read.

A Dirty Little Secret: Self-Censorship By Debra Lau Whelan

Self-censorship is rampant and lethal. Its a dirty secret that no one in the profession wants to talk about or admit practicing. Yet everyone knows some librarians bypass good booksthose with literary merit or that fill a need in their collections. The reasons range from a books sexual content and gay themes to its language and violenceand it happens in more public and K12 libraries than you think.

SLJ Self-Censorship Survey By Debra Lau Whelan

To gain a better understanding of collection development and the issue of self-censorship, School Library Journal conducted an anonymous survey, which was emailed to 5,438 of SLJs Extra Helping subscribers on November 18, 2008. The survey closed on December 2, 2008.

Ellen Hopkins, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, and Chris Finan are Honored for their Roles Battling Literary Censorship By Rocco Staino New York Times-bestselling author Ellen Hopkins, Newbery medalist Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, and First Amendment activist Chris Finan were all recognized by the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) on November 12 for their work defending free speech.

A Killer Story: An Interview with Suzanne Collins, Author of The Hunger Games

By Rick Margolis SLJ interviews Suzanne Collins, author of the blockbuster young adult novel series, The Hunger Games, which continuously makes it on ALAs most frequently challenged books.

NCAC Film Fest Celebrates Free Expression By Mahnaz Dar

A host of teen filmmakers were on hand at the New York Film Academy for Youth Voices Uncensored, a screening of the winners of The National Coalition Against Censorships Youth Free Expression Projects film contest, which tackled the topic of book banning.

What to Do When Kids Arent Allowed to Read Digital Books in School By Kathy Ishizuka Pat Scales, chair of the American Library Associations Intellectual Freedom Committee and SLJ columnist, regularly fields questions on banned library materials. But this is the first Ive encountered in which a books format has been censored, she writes.

Editor Marks Banned Books Week by Being Locked Up at Vonnegut Memorial Library By Lauren Barack

The Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library is expecting an unusual window display starting September 30writer and editor Corey Michael Dalton plans to mark Banned Books Week by camping out there to demonstrate the value of our freedom to read.

Interview: Why Lauren Myracles Proud to Top ALAs List of Most Challenged Books By Debra Lau Whelan

On the 30th anniversary of Banned Books Week, an annual event that celebrates the freedom to read, SLJ talks with bestselling author Lauren Myracle, who ranked number one on the American Library Associations top 10 most frequently challenged books in 2011 and 2009and who also made the list in 2008 and 2007.

The Naked Truth: Librarians Stood By Maurice Sendak, No Stranger to Controversy By Kathleen T. Horning

Former ALA President and current director of the Cooperative Childrens Book Center of the School of Education, Kathleen T. Horning celebrates the librarians that stood up to intended censorship of Maurice Sendaks In the Night Kitchen.

News Coverage on Banned and Challenged Books

Texas Pastor Attempts to Ban Twilight from Austin Memorial Library By Mahnaz Dar

A Texas pastor attempted to have 75 paranormal YA titles, including Twilight, removed from the Austin Memorial Library on the basis that they are inappropriate for young people.

Gay Penguin Book Allowed to Remain in Singapore LibrariesBy Carolyn Sun

The National Library Board in Singapore (NLB) announced that all copies of the childrens books And Tango Makes Three, among others, have not only been banned from the states collections, but would be pulped due to the books themes of homosexuality.

Request to Ban Two Boys Kissing from Virginia High School Library DeniedBy Sandy Chung

On April 23, Virginias Fauquier County Public Schools held a review and public hearing to consider a parents appeal to remove David Levithans Two Boys Kissingan LGBTQ-themed bookfrom the school districts libraries. The board voted a unanimous decision to keep the title in the school districts libraries.

Idahos Meridian School District Votes to Keep Hold on The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time IndianBy Carolyn Sun

According to the Idaho Statesman on April 2, Idahos Meridian County School Board voted 2-1 to continue the hold on Sherman Alexies The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, keeping it off the school curriculums supplemental book list.

North Carolina School Board Decides to Keep The House of SpiritsBy Carolyn Sun

On February 27, North Carolinas Watauga County School Board voted, 3-2, to keep Isabel Allendes The House of Spirits in the sophomore honors English curriculum.

Poetry Book by Teens Removed from Arizona SchoolBy Lauren Barack

Sixth and seventh graders in the Mesa Public Schools will have to trek to their local library or high school to read Things I Have to Tell You, a collection of poems by teenagers that has been removed from the junior high school libraries in this Arizona community.

Reading, PA, Students Protest Classroom Library ProbeBy Lauren Barack

Middle school students in Reading, PA, created an online petition in December 2013 to protest what they see as unjust scrutiny of their classroom libraries.

NY District Returns Nasreens Secret School to Third Grade ClassroomsBy Lauren Barack

In the Southold (NY) Union Free School District, third graders can continue to hear the story of a young girls experience under Taliban rule, as told in Jeanette Winters book, Nasreens Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan, even after a question about its appropriateness was raised in a school board meeting in October 2013.

Library Advocates File Brief to Challenge Arizonas Ethnic Studies BanBy Karyn M. Peterson

The nonprofit Freedom to Read Foundation, joined by key library and learning advocates, on November 25, 2013 filed an amicus brief with the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Arce v. Huppenthal, a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of an Arizona statute that bans ethnic studies.

Rainbow Rowells Eleanor & Park Retained in Minnesota High SchoolBy Karyn M. Peterson

A review committee at Minnesotas Anoka High School agreed to retain Rainbow Rowells lauded young adult novel Eleanor & Park in its school library, despite a complaint from a parent who had partnered with the conservative Parents Action League to challenge the book.

Gaimans Neverwhere Returned to New Mexico High School ClassroomsBy Karyn M. Peterson

Neil Gaimans bestselling urban fantasy novel Neverwhere has been restored to the curriculum at New Mexicos Alamogordo High School, ending a temporary suspension due to a parental challenge.

Golden Domes Picture Book Causes Stir at Scholastic Book FairBy Shelley Diaz

A parent in Marietta, GA, lodged a complaint with his local school board about the inclusion of Hena Khans picture book Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors at his daughters Scholastic Book Fair on October 17. Thomas Prisock claims that the book is an indoctrination of Muslim culture.

NC School Board Reverses Ban on Ellisons Invisible Man

By SLJ Staff

The Randolph County (NC) Board of Education has voted to restore Ralph Ellisons classic novel Invisible Man to school library shelves by a vote of 6 to 1, reversing its earlier ban of the book. This ban which took place in mid-September 2013 received international attention from literary advocates.

Atwoods Handmaids Tale Retained in Guilford County (NC) High Schools

By SLJ Staff

Margaret Atwoods award-winning dystopian novel The Handmaids Tale will remain accessible to 12th graders in Guilford, NC, high school libraries, following a local school board vote to retain the book on its suggested reading list.

NCAC: School Visits Nixed for Medina, Rowell

By SLJ Staff

Planned school visits by YA authors Meg Medina and Rainbow Rowell set to coincide with Banned Books Week (September 22 to 28) have been cancelled due to local challenges over the content of their acclaimed books, the National Coalition Against Censorship reports.

Morrisons Bluest Eye Joins Wide Range of Books Challenged in Alabama Schools By Sarah Bayliss and Karyn M. Peterson

Toni Morrisons acclaimed novel The Bluest Eye could become the latest in a wide range of books that have been officially challenged in Alabamas 132 school districts in recent years, if State Senator Bill Holtzclaw, R-Madison, has his way.

Alexies True Diary Removed from NYC Schools Summer Reading List

By Shelley Diaz

The inclusion of Sherman Alexies acclaimed The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian on a required summer reading list for sixth graders has raised the ire of a group of parents in Belle Harbor, NY, who have successfully called for its removal, the Daily News has reported.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower Restored to IL Classrooms By SLJ Staff

Steven Chboskys epistolary coming-of-age tale The Perks of Being a Wallflower is being restored to eighth-grade classrooms in Glen Ellyn District 41, a suburb of Chicago, following a recent challenge over concerns about the books sexual content and explicit language.

YA Books Remain on School Library Shelves After Yakima, WA, Challenges By Karyn M. Peterson Two very different young adult booksthe first volume of Amy Ignatows lively graphic novel series The Popularity Papers and Dave Pelzers harrowing memoir A Child Called Itwill both remain on school library shelves in the Prosser school district in Yakima, WA, following several school board votes on the titles.

Michigan School District Rejects Parents Challenge to Anne Franks Diary

By Marta Murvosh

A Michigan parents complaint that Anne Franks The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition is too frank for middle schoolers and should be replaced with an older, expurgated edition has been rejected by the local school board.

Persepolis Restored to Chicago School Libraries; Classroom Access Still Restricted

By Karyn M. Peterson

After a directive by Chicago Public Schools to restrict student access for all grades below 11 to Marjane Satrapis Persepolis, CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett quickly issued a memo clarifying that the graphic novel should remain on library shelves. However, educators remain wary about the classroom restrictions, prompting the ALAs Associations Office for Intellectual Freedom and the Freedom to Read Foundation to respond.

Polaccos In Our Mothers House Restored to Utah School Library Shelves

By SLJ Staff

Patricia Polaccos In Our Mothers House, an acclaimed picture book about a family with two mothers, is finally back on K6 school library shelves in Utahs Davis School District, more than eight months after a committee pulled the book and restricted its access.

ACLU Files Suit Against Utah School District for Removing Polaccos In Our Mothers House from General Circulation By Sarah Bayliss The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Foundation has filed suit against a Utah school district that removed In Our Mothers House, a picture book about a family with two mothers from school library shelves.

And Tango Makes Three Tops Most Challenged List, Again By SLJ Staff

And Tango Makes Three (2005), the true story of two male penguins who hatch and parent a baby chick at New Yorks Central Park Zoo, tops the list of the most frequently challenged books of 2010, according to the American Library Associations (ALA) State of Americas Libraries Report, which documents challenges and trends in library usage.

Ban on John Greens Looking for Alaska Sparks Anger By Lauren Barack A Tennessee school district banned John Greens award-winning novel Looking for Alaska (Dutton, 2005) from the school curriculum. Jeremy Johnson, spokesperson for Sumner County Schools, where the book was pulled, says Were not using it in the curriculum, but it will still be used in the libraries.

Andersons Speak Under Attack, Again By Rocco Staino Wesley Scroggins, an associate professor of management at Missouri State University, is cautioning parents of the Republic School District against what he refers to as soft porn books used in the curriculum, including Speak, which is about rape. School Library Journal spoke to author Laurie Halse Anderson about the controversy.

Blogs and Columns

Scales on Censorship By Pat Scales

In a bimonthly column, Chair of the American Library Associations Intellectual Freedom (ALA OIF) Committee Pat Scales responds to questions about book banning, equal access for all students, and why reporting materials challenges to the ALA OIF is so important.

Roundtable: Should Parents Limit Comics Reading? By Esther Keller

Limit comics reading to only one day a week? Are reading comics and prose equal? Are comics real reading? In an article titled Why My Daughter Isnt Allowed to Read Comics, Jonathan Liu at GeekDad posted that he and his wife have limited their daughters comics reading to one day a week to ensure she would pick up some prose novels. As a mix of parents, librarians, and educators, we thought wed join the discussion.

Roundtable: Removing Persepolis from Chicago classrooms | Good Comics for Kids By Brigid Alverson

The recent removal of Marjane Satrapis Persepolis from some classrooms in the Chicago Public schools attracted a lot of attention. Although it first appeared that all the books were being removed, it turned out that the school district had had second thoughts about teaching it to seventh-graders, largely because of a single page depicting torture. For this roundtable, two of Good Comics for Kids bloggers who have expertise in working with tweens and teens chime in.

Excerpt from:
SLJs Resources On Banned Books and Censorship | School ...

NCTE Principles for Intellectual Freedom in Education

All students have the right to materials and educational experiences that promote open inquiry, critical thinking, diversity in thought and expression, and respect for others. Denial or restriction of this right is an infringement of intellectual freedom. Toward this end, NCTE encourages school communities to generate, implement, and follow policies and procedures for defending intellectual freedom at the classroom, institution, and system/campus levels to limit and/or address attacks on free expression. Read more . . .

NCTE offers advice, helpful documents, and other support to teachers faced with challenges to texts (e.g. literary works, films and videos, drama productions) or teaching methods used in their classrooms and schools.

There are several ways to report an incident:

Millie Davis, Director, Intellectual Freedom Center

The materials below have been identified by teachers as most useful in preventing and combating censorship.

Students' Right to ReadGives model procedures for responding to challenges, including "Citizen's Request for Reconsideration of a Work."

Guidelines for Selection of Materials in English Language Arts Programs Presents criteria and procedures that ensure thoughtful teacher selection of novels and other materials.

Rationales for Teaching Challenged BooksRich resource section included table of contents of NCTE's Rationales for Commonly Challenged Books CD-ROM, an alphabetical list of other rationales on file, the SLATE Starter Sheet on "How to Write a Rationale," and sample rationales for Bridge to Terabithia and The Color Purple.

Guidelines for Dealing with Censorship of Nonprint MaterialsOffers principles and practices regarding nonprint materials.

Defining and Defending Instructional Methods Gives rationales for various English language arts teaching methods and other defenses against common challenges to them.

Isabel Allendewrites a letter to defend her book The House of the Spirits

Judy Blume has some "Good Words" to share.

Chris Crutchertells us "How They Do It"

NCTE actively began fighting censorship in the 1950's. McCarthyism spurred NCTE to take a more active stance against censorship and, in 1953, NCTE's Committee on Censorship of Teaching Materials published Censorship and Controversy, condemning McCarthy's tactics and championing freedom of thought. In 1962 NCTE published its seminal intellectual freedom guideline The Students' Right to Read, that led to today's active Anti-Censorship program which works with 60-100 educators and school districts a year on challenges to texts used in classrooms. Over these years the Council has voiced its opposition to censorship and promoted intellectual freedom as portrayed in this video clip from the NCTE Centennial Film.

Read more . . .

Read this article:
National Council of Teachers of English Anti-Censorship Center

Censorship, the suppression of words, images, or ideas that are "offensive," happens whenever some people succeed in imposing their personal political or moral values on others. Censorship can be carried out by the government as well as private pressure groups. Censorship by the government is unconstitutional.

In contrast, when private individuals or groups organize boycotts against stores that sell magazines of which they disapprove, their actions are protected by the First Amendment, although they can become dangerous in the extreme. Private pressure groups, not the government, promulgated and enforced the infamous Hollywood blacklists during the McCarthy period. But these private censorship campaigns are best countered by groups and individuals speaking out and organizing in defense of the threatened expression.

American society has always been deeply ambivalent about these questions. On the one hand, our history is filled with examples of overt government censorship, from the 1873 Comstock Law to the 1996 Communications Decency Act. On the other hand, the commitment to freedom of imagination and expression is deeply embedded in our national psyche, buttressed by the First Amendment, and supported by a long line of Supreme Court decisions.

The Supreme Court has interpreted the First Amendment's protection of artistic expression very broadly. It extends not only to books, theatrical works and paintings, but also to posters, television, music videos and comic books -- whatever the human creative impulse produces.

Two fundamental principles come into play whenever a court must decide a case involving freedom of expression. The first is "content neutrality"-- the government cannot limit expression just because any listener, or even the majority of a community, is offended by its content. In the context of art and entertainment, this means tolerating some works that we might find offensive, insulting, outrageous -- or just plain bad.

The second principle is that expression may be restricted only if it will clearly cause direct and imminent harm to an important societal interest. The classic example is falsely shouting fire in a crowded theater and causing a stampede. Even then, the speech may be silenced or punished only if there is no other way to avert the harm.

SEX SEXUAL SPEECH Sex in art and entertainment is the most frequent target of censorship crusades. Many examples come to mind. A painting of the classical statue of Venus de Milo was removed from a store because the managers of the shopping mall found its semi-nudity "too shocking." Hundreds of works of literature, from Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings to John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath, have been banned from public schools based on their sexual content.

A museum director was charged with a crime for including sexually explicit photographs by Robert Mapplethorpe in an art exhibit.

American law is, on the whole, the most speech-protective in the world -- but sexual expression is treated as a second-class citizen. No causal link between exposure to sexually explicit material and anti-social or violent behavior has ever been scientifically established, in spite of many efforts to do so. Rather, the Supreme Court has allowed censorship of sexual speech on moral grounds -- a remnant of our nation's Puritan heritage.

This does not mean that all sexual expression can be censored, however. Only a narrow range of "obscene" material can be suppressed; a term like "pornography" has no legal meaning . Nevertheless, even the relatively narrow obscenity exception serves as a vehicle for abuse by government authorities as well as pressure groups who want to impose their personal moral views on other people.

PORNOGRAPHIC! INDECENT! OBSCENE! Justice John Marshall Harlan's line, "one man's vulgarity is another's lyric," sums up the impossibility of developing a definition of obscenity that isn't hopelessly vague and subjective. And Justice Potter Stewart's famous assurance, "I know it when I see it," is of small comfort to artists, writers, movie directors and lyricists who must navigate the murky waters of obscenity law trying to figure out what police, prosecutors, judges and juries will think.

The Supreme Court's current definition of constitutionally unprotected Obscenity, first announced in a 1973 case called Miller v. California, has three requirements. The work must 1) appeal to the average person's prurient (shameful, morbid) interest in sex; 2) depict sexual conduct in a "patently offensive way" as defined by community standards; and 3) taken as a whole, lack serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.

The Supreme Court has held that Indecent expression -- in contrast with "obscenity" -- is entitled to some constitutional protection, but that indecency in some media (broadcasting, cable, and telephone) may be regulated. In its 1978 decision in Federal Communications Commission v. Pacifica, the Court ruled that the government could require radio and television stations to air "indecent" material only during those hours when children would be unlikely listeners or viewers. Broadcast indecency was defined as: "language that describes, in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards for the broadcast medium, sexual or excretory activities or organs." This vague concept continues to baffle both the public and the courts.

PORNOGRAPHY is not a legal term at all. Its dictionary definition is "writing or pictures intended to arouse sexual desire." Pornography comes in as many varieties as the human sexual impulse and is protected by the First Amendment unless it meets the definition for illegal obscenity.

VIOLENCE IS MEDIA VIOLENCE A THREAT TO SOCIETY? Today's calls for censorship are not motivated solely by morality and taste, but also by the widespread belief that exposure to images of violence causes people to act in destructive ways. Pro-censorship forces, including many politicians, often cite a multitude of "scientific studies" that allegedly prove fictional violence leads to real-life violence.

There is, in fact, virtually no evidence that fictional violence causes otherwise stable people to become violent. And if we suppressed material based on the actions of unstable people, no work of fiction or art would be safe from censorship. Serial killer Theodore Bundy collected cheerleading magazines. And the work most often cited by psychopaths as justification for their acts of violence is the Bible.

But what about the rest of us? Does exposure to media violence actually lead to criminal or anti-social conduct by otherwise stable people, including children, who spend an average of 28 hours watching television each week? These are important questions. If there really were a clear cause-and-effect relationship between what normal children see on TV and harmful actions, then limits on such expression might arguably be warranted.

WHAT THE STUDIES SHOW Studies on the relationship between media violence and real violence are the subject of considerable debate. Children have been shown TV programs with violent episodes in a laboratory setting and then tested for "aggressive" behavior. Some of these studies suggest that watching TV violence may temporarily induce "object aggression" in some children (such as popping balloons or hitting dolls or playing sports more aggressively) but not actual criminal violence against another person.

CORRELATIONAL STUDIES that seek to explain why some aggressive people have a history of watching a lot of violent TV suffer from the chicken-and-egg dilemma: does violent TV cause such people to behave aggressively, or do aggressive people simply prefer more violent entertainment? There is no definitive answer. But all scientists agree that statistical correlations between two phenomena do not mean that one causes the other.

INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS are no more helpful. Japanese TV and movies are famous for their extreme, graphic violence, but Japan has a very low crime rate -- much lower than many societies in which television watching is relatively rare. What the sudies reveal on the issue of fictional violence and real world aggression is -- not much.

The only clear assertion that can be made is that the relationship between art and human behavior is a very complex one. Violent and sexually explicit art and entertainment have been a staple of human cultures from time immemorial. Many human behavioralists believe that these themes have a useful and constructive societal role, serving as a vicarious outlet for individual aggression.

WHERE DO THE EXPERTS AGREE? Whatever influence fictional violence has on behavior, most expert believe its effects are marginal compared to other factors. Even small children know the difference between fiction and reality, and their attitudes and behavior are shaped more by their life circumstances than by the books they read or the TV they watch. In 1972, the U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory Committee on Television and Social Behavior released a 200-page report, "Television and Growing Up: The Impact of Televised Violence," which concluded, "The effect [of television] is small compared with many other possible causes, such as parental attitudes or knowledge of and experience with the real violence of our society." Twenty-one years later, the American Psychological Association published its 1993 report, "Violence & Youth," and concluded, "The greatest predictor of future violent behavior is a previous history of violence." In 1995, the Center for Communication Policy at UCLA, which monitors TV violence, came to a similar conclusion in its yearly report: "It is known that television does not have a simple, direct stimulus-response effect on its audiences."

Blaming the media does not get us very far, and, to the extent that diverts the public's attention from the real causes of violence in society, it may do more harm than good.

WHICH MEDIA VIOLENCE WOULD YOU BAN? A pro-censorship member of Congress once attacked the following shows for being too violent: The Miracle Worker, Civil War Journal, Star Trek 9, The Untouchables, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. What would be left if all these kinds of programs were purged from the airwaves? Is there good violence and bad violence? If so, who decides? Sports and the news are at least as violent as fiction, from the fights that erupt during every televised hockey game, to the videotaped beating of Rodney King by the LA Police Department, shown over and over gain on prime time TV. If we accept censorship of violence in the media, we will have to censor sports and news programs.

Follow this link:
What Is Censorship? | American Civil Liberties Union

First of all, my opponent is trying to turn this debate into a moral issue. Morality should never be the basis of government. Justice and fairness should be.

Pro, argues that this debate is no about "Can the government censor?" but about "Should they?" As I stated previously no they shouldn't. Just because something is allowed, doesn't mean we should do it. I can stuff my face with 10 slices of pizza, does it mean I should? No

Pro, also mentioned I have not given example why censorship is bad. As you can read, I did.

I can give a list why censorship is bad in all corners. Here we go.

1. Dictators use censorship to promote a flattering image of themselves and for removing any information that goes against them. Whose to say the government can't do this too?

2. Political parties around the world already use media censorship for their own benefit. It stifles the opposition, broadcasting only a particular point of view.

3. Censorship makes us believe what were are told, not what we are not. Why do conspiracy theorists exist? Because they believe the government isn't telling us something.

4. Area 51, 9/11, New World Order. Do you really think the gorvernment should keep all those things censored.

5. It makes the US complete hyprocite. The Constitution says we have Freedom of Speech, Press, Religion, Petition and Protest, so why does the gorvernment censor this? For there own benefit.

Thank you. By the way, the voters can vote for whoever they want. Vote whatever you like! 🙂

As to his rebuttals, they are also contradictory. I have not said that he did not give instances of bad censorship, I merely pointed out that a few bad examples does not imply that censorship in all circumstances is immoral. I would like to point out that my opponent has done nothing to refute my ethical system of utilitarianism or propose one of his own that is not logically contradictory. Under my ethical system, government should censor when the results of said censorship maximize happiness or minimize pain. Until my opponent addresses this point, I should be considered the winner.

See the article here:
Debate Argument: Censorship | Debate.org

Censorship

Today I would like to talk about

censorship. Censorship is the removal of information from the public. Today censorship is a

phase of social control. It is becoming more and more common all over the world today. It

reaches as far as political power and public opinion. Often censorship is undertaken by

governments. Censorship is closely tied in as a concept with freedom of speech and other forms

of human expression. The censorship of opinion for the most part was restricted to the control

of speech rather than of printing. The censorship of free speech attempted to control the

audience. The purpose of this speech is to give information regarding censorship knowledge.

Censorship occurs when expressive materials, like books, magazines, films and videos, or works

of art, are removed or kept from the public. Censorship also occurs when materials are

restricted to particular audiences, based on their age or other characteristics. A few types of

censorship are political, religious, and the the censorship of music, but there are many more.

Political censorship occurs when the government conceals secrets from their citizens, while

religious censorship is when any material of a certain faith is removed. This often involves a

dominant religion forcing limitations on less dominant ones. Many musicians protested against

censorship in music and pushed for more freedom of expression. Considerable amounts of music

has been banned since the 1950's all the way to the present. One example is that

many states in the U.S. decided to make it illegal for selling N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton

album and the fines for catching anyone would go from $10,00 to $100,00 depending on how

many minors were involved.

When a society has freedom, citizens can collect and distribute any information they want

without any restraints. Another example is that in the Canadian Charter of Rights and

Freedoms, it clearly states that Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms: the

freedom of thought, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of

communication." which means that this material in any form cannot be altered by the government

in any way. Also, citizens have the right to access information in all forms of media to be able to

watch, read or listen to whatever they want. The concept of freedom involves protecting the

rights of all individuals to pursue the types of information and to read anything that interests

them. The society has the right to voice opinions and try to persuade others to adopt their

opinions. Censorship believes that certain materials are too offensive, or present ideas that are

too hateful and destructive to society, that they simply must not be shown to the public. I think

everyone has a voice and an opinion and unfortunately, sometimes their voice is censored and

denied the right to express their opinion because it is different. I think censorship is wrong

because it denies an individual the chance to be heard simply because they have different ideas.

The only solution to the problem is to voice our opinion.

See the article here:
Against Censorship :: essays research papers