Monthly Archives: September 2022

After nearly two years of lobbying by representatives of the nations largest, wealthiest, and most pro-censorship media companies, after being killed in the House and then revived in the Senate, the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA) is (temporarily) dead again killed by its champion, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), because Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) successfully added an amendment that would prevent media companies and tech companies from colluding on content moderation.

The core concept of the JCPA is allowing media companies to form a legal cartel in the U.S., for the sole purpose of negotiating with tech giants for special favors.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Mark Zuckerberg Smiles during testimony (Pool/Getty)

Sen. Cruzs amendment, which passed by a narrow 11-10 vote of the Senate Judiciary Committee, limits the scope of those negotiations: the media cartel would be allowed to negotiate with Big Tech on fair payments for their content, but on nothing else including content moderation.

In his remarks, Sen. Cruz made it clear that the purpose of his amendment was to prevent big media companies from negotiating the suppression of their competitors with tech giants like Facebook and Google.

What this amendment would do, is it would say [that] when the cartel sits down to negotiation, it would say were not going to discuss censorship, were going to discuss price,' said Cruz.

Sen. Klobuchars response was to pull the bill from proceedings rather than pass it out of committee with the Cruz amendment. In doing so, she effectively revealed that enabling collusion between Big Media and Big Tech on censorship has always been a core Democrat aim behind the JCPA.

Sen. Cruz successfully won over his colleagues on his amendment. In tense exchanges at this mornings markup hearing on the bill, a somewhat panicked-sounding Sen. Klobuchar attempted to persuade the lead Republican co-sponsor of the bill, Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA), that the amendment preventing censorship collusion between Big Media and Big Tech could not be allowed.

Senator Kennedy weve worked on this months. We wont be able to support the Cruz amendment here If this is in it, we cant support the bill.

I dont understand why, responded Kennedy. To me, the issue is supposed to be about money, and not about moderating content, and this [the amendment] just makes explicit what I thought was implicit in the bill.

Klobuchars last-ditch efforts to persuade Republicans were unsuccessful, and the Cruz amendment passed by a narrow 11-10 vote of the committee.

Immediately afterward, Klobuchar pulled the JCPA from proceedings, saying she could not support the bill with the addition of the Cruz amendment, which she said would blow up the bill.

This was a surprise, this is a long-negotiated bill, stated a rattled-sounding Klobuchar as committee proceedings wrapped up.

The Cruz amendment effectively exposed what JCPA supporters have been attempting to conceal from Republicans: that one of the core conditions of Democrat support for the bill is that it allows media companies to collude with Big Tech to censor their competitors.

Presented to Republicans as a way for struggling news companies to fight back against Big Tech, and obtain more ad revenue from them, Sen. Klobuchars actions today reveal that Democrats intend the bill to be far wider in scope.

Sen. Cruzs attempt to limit negotiations just to payment exposed the true aims of the Democrats: not saving independent journalism, but crushing it with censorship, censorship, and more censorship.

Allum Bokhari is the senior technology correspondent at Breitbart News.He is the author of#DELETED: Big Techs Battle to Erase the Trump Movement and Steal The Election.

Read the original post:
Democrats Exposed: Klobuchar Delays Media Cartel Bill After Cruz ...

Keller ISD pulled 41 books, including the Bible and an adaptation on "Diary of Anne Frank."

FORT WORTH, Texas Some public school libraries in Texas are now on the frontline in the ongoing culture wars.

Officials in the Keller ISD yanked 41 books off the shelves throughout the district for further review after they were challenged by parents. That includes the Bible and Anne Franks Diary: The Graphic Adaptation.

State Representative Matt Krause is the state lawmaker who started his own book inquiry last fall when he asked schools if they had some 850 titles on their campuses. Many of the titles pulled in Keller were also on his list.

The Fort Worth Republican says he doesnt view it as subjective censorship, but instead finding the right balance for our kids.

I think it's always a good idea to ensure that the books that are in the library's bookshelves in your schools are appropriate, age appropriate, Rep. Krause said on Inside Texas Politics. And as you and I have talked about, what's appropriate in a Keller ISD high school may not be appropriate in a Keller ISD middle school. So, I think you always have those conversations. I think they're constructive.

As for the Bible, Rep. Krause doesnt think it will be off shelves for long. He thinks it was a tit-for-tat type challenge, where a parent or group said if youre taking books from our side, well take some books from your side.

But the Republican also firmly believes these decisions should remain local, even if in the future a new school board would decide to make a Bible ban permanent.

We've always said the power of what should be or should not be in these libraries is up to the local communities. And you're right, maybe in five, 10 years, Keller ISD, the parents, the taxpayers, the school board, the superintendent all decide this shouldn't be in our libraries. That should be up for them to decide, he told us.

The Republican also says he expects state lawmakers to consider more laws concerning library books when they return to Austin in January. He says they, too, have to find a balance.

You want to make sure you continue to allow for that autonomy and community input. But I do think the legislature will take a look at it, said Krause. It may be some guiding standards, some guiding principles on what you should do, and then the particulars will be addressed by the individual school districts.

Rep. Krause himself wont be there in January. Hes leaving office after giving up his seat to run for Tarrant County District Attorney. But he lost in a runoff to Phil Sorrells.

See the article here:
State lawmaker says pulling books for review isnt censorship - WFAA

Our new series will feature our favorite authors talking about their work. Christopher Furlong/Getty Images hide caption

Our new series will feature our favorite authors talking about their work.

This summer, a library in Lafayette, Louisiana, was forced to remove a Pride Month display after conservative Christian activists joined its board of directors.

In Iowa, a proposed bill would give city councils the power to overturn librarians' decisions about what books to buy and where they're displayed.

And librarians in Missouri canceled their bookmobile to several schools after a law passed in the state criminalizing anyone who makes visually explicit content available in schools.

So far, the American Library Association has reported 681 challenges to more than 1,600 titles this year. That puts 2022 on track to see the highest number of book challenges in decades.

What future do public libraries and library workers have in this climate of unprecedented censorship? And what role do larger, out-of-state libraries play in combating it?

The American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom's Deborah Caldwell-Stone, the former director of Boundary County Public Library in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, Kimber Glidden, the Michigan Library Association's Deborah Mikula, author and professor of English, the University of Mississippi, Kiese Laymon, and freelance writer and literary critic, Connor Goodwin all join us for the conversation.

Like what you hear? Find more of our programs online.

Read this article:
The Strain Of Censorship On Public Libraries : 1A - NPR

In March 2022, the IndyStar reported that Indiana legislation received a bill (Senate bill 17) proposing that teachers and librarians have the potential to be criminalized for exposing students to books and materials that could be viewed as inappropriate or harmful to minors. This vague bill was promptly shut down and rejected by legislators, but other states have not been so fortunate. According to PEN America, a free speech advocacy organization, 122 bills of a similar nature have been proposed in 33 different states since early 2021, 12 of which have become law. While it is understandable to want to protect minors from inappropriate content, it begs the question: what is inappropriate content for minors, and who decides that?

The banning of books in public schools has been an ongoing issue. From classic novels, such as Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird to more recently published LGBTQ novels like All Boys Arent Blue by George Johnson, beloved stories are the targets of many school districts wishing to restrict minors access to information, as suggested by research done by PEN America. The American Library Association (ALA) states that a book can be challenged by any group or individual, but the final decision of officially banning a book is typically up to the school board of that district.

There are several reasons why a book may be challenged. For example, in 2020, the ALA reported that the most common reasons for a book to be banned were sexually explicit content, vulgar language or because it was deemed unfit for an age group. More disturbingly, PEN America found that 33% of recently banned books are centered around LGBTQ content and protagonists, and 41% of banned books feature a protagonist of color.

When it comes to book banning, there is a fine line between the protection of minors and unnecessarily censoring content. To strip students of their access to stories centered around minorities and those within the LGBTQ community,that is censorship. It is valid to want to limit minors exposure to explicit content, but the statistics suggest a double standard. There are several books that feature content that could be seen as inappropriate and are still allowed in school libraries. For example, the Bible features sexual content, graphic violence and death, and yet it can be found in most school libraries across the nationbut that same reasoning could be used as an excuse to remove a book that parents might disapprove of on a personal level.

Not only does banning books limit the diversity of stories that a student can experience, it ensures that LGBTQ students and students of color are not represented in the media they consume. Representation is very important, especially when it comes to minors who are just starting to figure out who they are and what is normal. Representation in media is beneficial to the development of an individuals self-confidence and identity. It allows them to experience characters and stories that mirror their own lives; they are able to see that they are not alone. When books that can provide that representation are taken out of school libraries, that makes it so much more difficult for LGBTQ students or students of color to feel seen by the world around them.

More here:
Issues of representation: censorship in schools The Reflector - The Reflector Online

Prince was so filthy that apparently a plumber once wrote I wish my wife was this dirty with their index finger on his back. The guitar God lothario strangely coupled sensual eroticism with spiritualism in a style akin to the loving Al Green who came before him. He then wove these sordid tales seamlessly into radio-friendly pop provided you were lyrically hard of hearing, so to speak.

However, there were some folks who thought that his sexy stylings were a little too full on, and they rallied against it. In 1985, one of his raunchiest hits and a single incident that it spawned would change the music industry forever. Purple Rain is a record that tells a liberated narrative, but one chapter of the tale drew the attention of censors.

The track, Darling Nikki, portrays Princes encounter with a nymphomaniac who he finds in a hotel lobby masturbating with a magazine before she takes him back to her castle, complete a cornucopia of sexual devices that change the little maestro for life. In the morning, this dominatrix is no longer by his side, but she sure did teach him how to grind. Then, in trademark Prince fashion, he ends the track with a biblical analogy, singing: Im fine because I know that the Lord is coming soon, coming, coming soon.

Now, thats certainly a song with some overt adult overtones. Thus, when a mother (Tipper Gore, the wife of Al Gore) found her 11-year-old daughter singing along to it, she set about stopping it from reaching young ears thereafter. The mother in question was the founder of the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC). The PMRC then proceeded to collate tunes that they deemed unsuitable for minors and presented them to the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Frank Zappa, Dee Snider and John Denver were among the artists who spoke out against the censorship of music amid the wave of discussion that followed. However, the PMRC demanded that a system must be put in place for parents to decipher what music was deemed suitable. Thus, the RIAA came up with a route around censoring the music itself and came up with the explicit content warning sticker on albums. And Gores children, as expected, are now well-adjusted adults with Princes perversions clearly not affecting them too much.

Darling Nikki isa mark of Princes uncompromising approach as an artist. When a commercially damaging Parental Advisory label was slapped on the record, he refused to yield on his tale of a sex fiend. He felt safe in the knowledge that he was not living a life of sin, and any messages he extolled wouldnt be harmful if sense and sensibility were applied.

The lude recital of Darling Nikki is a daring one and it still gives the song a bristling edge even if his liberated approach to sexual lyricism is now widespread. In truth, Prince was a daring artist and the sparse instrumentation of the track seems to lay that bare. On top of that, youve got a groove that would even encourage a condemners hips to shake at least a little bit.

Follow Far Out Magazine across our social channels, onFacebook,TwitterandInstagram.

Most popular

Visit link:
The Prince song that started a wave of artistic censorship - Far Out Magazine

Pennsylvania tried to make sure this picture STAYS a man

Look, Ill be the first one to admit that numbers scare me a bit. Anything above 13 makes my left eye itch. And coding? Outside of that small period where teenagers using Myspace had to be Matrix level hackers to add music to their home page, I know nothing of the sort. Even so, when I first heard about the Girls Who Code books, a series aiming to address the dearth of girls and women involved in tech, I was happy to discover that it was a thing. The number allergic of us notwithstanding, who would oppose that?

Pennsylvania apparently.

A school district inPennsylvaniatemporarily banned the Girls Who Code book series for young readers, according to an index of banned books compiled by the free expression non-profit, Pen America.

I think this actually may be worse than Florida not accepting dictionaries for fear that the woke agenda would toxify their fragile minds as they browse to figure out what an aardvark is. Considering that the ban may have just been temporary, Im not sure how it ranks with Oklahoma banning Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglassby, you know, Fredrick Douglass. If youd like to see a bigger breakdown of the 1,648 books banned in the Land Of The Free which, unless Im missing something, does not include Mein Kampf this article has a link to the compilation.

I am generally opposed to censorship. That said, if we really want to use censorship as a way to protect children, maybe we could stop making movies that teach kids that stalking is romantic? Or that abduction flows from true love? Or that being a Peeping Tom is just boyish playfulness instead of violations of autonomy? Maybe not though that too could be written off as part of the liberal agenda. If kids saw that and took it to heart, maybe they wouldnt celebrate when a grown man brags about how when youre rich you can just grab women by the pussy.

Pennsylvania School District Accused Of Banning Girls Who Code Book Series [The Guardian]

Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord in the Facebook groupLaw School Memes for Edgy T14s. He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim,a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email atcwilliams@abovethelaw.comand by tweet at@WritesForRent.

See more here:
Now That The Evil Of Blacks Learning American History Is Covered, New Censorship Laws Are Targeting Girls In Tech - Above the Law

AEW has been noticeably more laid back when it comes to censoring language on episodes of AEW Dynamite since the show first launched back in 2019. But this week's Dynamite saw multiple censors during a segment between MJF and Wheeler Yuta. Friedman casually dropped the s-word and got bleeped for it, while the crowd was censored when it began chanting "Shut The F Up!" at Max.

Jim Ross, AEW's play-by-play commentator, said fans could expect swearing to be reduced on AEW programming during a recent Q&A on AdFreeShows. He explained, "As long as the storylines and character development are based in some degree of logic, you have to position talent, to some degree, that he or she can best identify with the audience. It sounds simplistic, it really is, quite frankly. I thought WWE, at one point, I was there and part of it, tried too hard to become PG and appease all the advertisers. I think you just have to use common sense. We had a string in AEW where there was a lot of controversial language. I think you'll see less of that. It's unnecessary and shows a lack of creativity if you can't come up with an adjective or adverb that is better than something a little coarse. The times are going to dictate that.

"The old time slot, we would raise the sensationalism in the second hour of Raw, you could be a little more risky and rougher," he continued. "It's all case-by-case, there is no rule, we all just have to use common sense and logic. I'm guilty as anybody. I remember one time, I said, 'WWE Dynamite.' That didn't make me real popular with some, which is amazing because it's called human error. That's it, I made a mistake, I was sorry about it. I haven't done it since, knock on wood."

Friedman and Wheeler agreed to have a match next week, will which mark Max's first time competing in the ring in an official match since Double or Nothing. He made his surprise return from hiatus at All Out earlier this month, though his involvement in the Casino Ladder Match consisted of him getting handed the poker chip to win the bout.

h/t Fightful

Read the original:
AEW Censors MJF, Crowd Chants When They Start Swearing on AEW Dynamite - ComicBook.com

The culture war engulfing schools has subjected educators like Richard Clifton to unfamiliar scrutiny including, in his case, a public records request.

In Savannah, Georgia, where Clifton is a longtime English teacher, a group of conservative activists earlier this year began calling for the school board to purge books with sexual content from school libraries. After Clifton took a personal stand against book banning, someone submitted a records request to learn what texts he assigns to students.

Around the same time, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed new laws that he said would protect students from what he views as obscene materials and divisive concepts. In response, an official in Cliftons district advised against using the term white privilege in the classroom.

Clifton didnt change the content of the screenwriting class hes teaching this school year, his 29th in the district. But as the political combat around education escalates, he is more cautious about the topics he discusses and the language he uses in class.

I am a little more gun-shy than I might have been in the past, he said.

The conservative backlash against anti-racism and LGBTQ inclusion in schools has put intense pressure on many educators. And that is causing schools to change, in ways obvious and subtle, as laws like Georgias take effect across the country.

Some of the moves are public, as when districts review challenged books or make it easier for parents to lodge complaints. But other shifts are happening behind the scenes books quietly pulled from shelves, classroom discussions cut short as teachers and school leaders seek to avoid blowback. Often it is students of color and LGBTQ young people who feel these effects most acutely as signals of inclusivity fade or vanish.

That was the case in an Alabama school district where a superintendent, facing pressure from some parents and a new state law restricting lessons about sexuality, ordered the removal of LGBTQ pride flags from classrooms, according to a teacher who requested anonymity to avoid retaliation. As the teacher took down her flags at the request of her principal, a queer student in the room began to cry.

Once you ban a symbol that shows you love and support them, the teacher said, it looks like you are no longer supporting them.

Conservative critics view the push to confront racism and champion inclusion in schools as a pretext for exposing students to liberal ideas and inappropriate content. That backlash has fueled efforts to rein in teachers and censor books.

Three-dozen state legislatures have considered bills this year to restrict teaching about contested topics, which six states passed, while schools in nearly 140 districts have removed or limited students access to books that parents or community members opposed, according to two recent reports by PEN America, a free-speech advocacy group. Other legislation makes it easier for parents to see whats taught in school and raise objections.

The combined efforts have had a chilling effect, according to analysts and educators. While there have been a few high-profile instances of districts being penalized or teachers investigated for violating the new rules, just the threat of controversy or punishment has been enough to prompt preemptive changes.

School and district leaders are taking it upon themselves to do the censors work for them, said Jeremy C. Young, senior manager of free expression and education at PEN America. In some ways thats the goal of the legislation: to make everyone afraid of their own shadows so they simply stay away from this material.

The legislation, almost all of which has been introduced by Republicans, has increasingly included the threat of sanctions ranging from professional discipline to loss of state funding and even criminal charges. Some laws enlist parents as enforcers.

For instance, Floridas new Parental Rights in Education law allows parents to report and potentially sue school districts if they believe a teacher discussed sexuality or gender identity with students in grades K-3.

The overall feeling that I get is fear, said Raegan Miller, a parent in St. Petersburg and member of the Florida Freedom to Read Project, which opposes the new restrictions.

The laws have unleashed a flurry of censorship, much of it aimed at books featuring Black or LGBTQ characters and driven by conservative activists. The group has tracked more than 580 titles that faced challenges across Florida over the past year, resulting in dozens of books being removed or made less accessible.

In her own childrens district, Miller has seen schools only allow older students to check out picture books with LGBTQ characters, which she considers an indirect ban. Recently, her sons fifth-grade teacher sent home a form asking parents to indicate whether their children may use the classroom library.

Thats the first time Ive ever gotten a letter like that, Miller said.

With only limited state guidance, Florida school districts have taken steps to forestall potential violations of the new laws. Some critics say theyve gone overboard.

The Orange County school district, which educates more than 200,000 students in the Orlando area, forbade schools from adding new library books until media specialists complete a required training next year. The Miami-Dade County school board recently rejected a proposal to recognize October as LGBTQ History Month. And the superintendent of the more than 80,000-student Pasco County school district told employees this month to remove Safe Space stickers, which are meant to signal support for LGBTQ students.

People are being very cautious, said Dr. Sue Woltanski, a retired pediatrician and member of the Monroe County school board in Key West. My concern is that caution will prevent people from standing up for teachers who are trying to do the right thing in their classrooms.

Schools in her district are putting their library catalogs online in compliance with the new laws, she added, but are not removing Safe Space stickers.

Many schools fear of controversy or censure is surfacing in inconspicuous ways.

In Missouri, where Republican lawmakers proposed more than 20 bills this year seeking to limit what students learn about racism and other divisive concepts, Aimee Robertson has noticed her childrens teachers sending home more permission slips. Already this school year, her daughters 11th grade AP English teacher has sought parents consent before allowing students to choose which memoir to study or showing them a documentary about humanitys impact on the environment.

Clearly districts and educators are going above and beyond to cover their butts, she said.

Students have also noticed teachers newfound apprehension.

Kennedy Young is an 11th grader in Georgia, where a new law limits what teachers can say about racism and U.S. history.

During a recent lesson at her school in Cobb County, Kennedys English teacher started to share her thoughts about why a Black and a Latina character in A Streetcar Named Desire werent given names, but she stopped herself. The teacher said students could discuss the topic, but she wasnt allowed to participate. No one spoke up.

Kennedy, who is Black and has been helping other students talk about race under the new law, said she wanted to bring up how women of color, and Black women in particular, are often marginalized in literature. But it can be isolating for students of color to lead classroom discussions about race without teachers support.

Sometimes I can feel like my voice is quieter, that it doesnt matter, she said, because there isnt that adult or other people of color to help me and guide the conversation along.

Back in Richard Cliftons district, Savannah-Chatham County, officials have taken steps to obey the new laws.

The school board adopted policies allowing parents to object to teaching materials used in their childrens classes, and report teachers who they believe discussed prohibited topics. At a training for administrators, a board attorney urged caution and discretion when using the phrase white privilege in classrooms, according to district spokesperson Sheila Blanco.

Despite pressure from activists who urged the board to protect our children from pornography, the district has not removed any books from school libraries this year, Blanco said.

For his part, Clifton said he believes parents have a right to know whats taught in school, and hes always tried to avoid promoting his personal beliefs in class. He still welcomes robust debate in his classroom, but now if a student were to raise a politically charged topic, he might think twice before engaging.

I wouldnt delve into it deeply, he said, because of the climate we are in.

Kalyn Belsha contributed reporting.

Patrick Wall is a senior reporter covering national education issues. Contact him atpwall@chalkbeat.org.

Read the original post:
Censorship and scrutiny has schools scrambling to avoid backlash - Chalkbeat

In a subreddit PoliticalHumor, theyve added a comment threadcalled Were messing with Texas.Themoderators of this thread have one very clear practice of discrimination:

To be clear, the mod team is of sound mind and body, and we are explicitly censoring the viewpoint that Greg Abbott isn't a little piss baby. Anyone denying the fact that Abbott is a little piss baby will be banned from the subreddit.

In fact, the page offers up an easy-to-fill-out consumer protection link to the Texas Attorney General and subpoena fraidy-cat Ken Paxton, so you can complain that you have been discriminated against because you did not want to write about how Governor Greg Abbot is a little piss baby. Thems the rules. You dont need to hang out in their subreddit if you dont like them, mind you. But if you do, remember this:Greg Abbott is a little piss baby.Here are a few examples of the posts:

One of the things I like the most about Greg Abbott is a little piss baby is that it's so true and yet so simple. Under his leadership Texas has become a state full of whiny little piss babies making up for huge guts and teeny peeners with big trucks, guns, racism, misogyny, and nutbag flags. The fact that Greg Abbott is a little piss baby is mirrored by much of the Texas population which is actually sad and deeply pathetic given how baselessly proud they are. I guess that'll happen though when your governor Greg Abbott is a little piss baby.

There was this controversial attempt at pushing the boundaries of the subreddits criteria.

Im not entirely sure that Greg Abbott is a little piss baby. Seems like a big one.

Running right up against the line there! As TechDirts MikeMasnickexplains, Redditlike Discord, Github, and Wikipediaismoderated by the various communitiesonline users and not the company itself,like Facebook or Google. This is an interaction between a Trump-supporter lawyer and the founder of Wikipedia.

So far, there are at least 2.1k comments on the subreddit, with at least one mention of Greg Abbott being a little piss baby.

We need your help to write 10,000,000 letters to infrequent but Democratic-leaning prospective voters in key congressional districts and Senate swing states this election, urging them to exercise their right to vote. Sign up with Vote Forward and join the most popular and effective Get Out the Vote (GOTV) activity in Daily Kos history.

Since Dobbs, women have registered to vote in unprecedented numbers across the country, and the first person to dig into these stunning trends was TargetSmart CEO Tom Bonier, who's our guest on this week's episode of The Downballot. Bonier explains how his firm gathers data on the electorate; why this surge is likely a leading indicator showing stepped-up enthusiasm among many groups of voters, including women, young people, and people of color; how we know these new registrants disproportionately lean toward Democrats; and what it all might mean for November.

Go here to see the original:
An online group is protesting Texas' ludicrous social media censorship law in a very funny way - Daily Kos