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From Art Spiegelman to Margaret Atwood, books are disappearing from the shelves of American schools. What’s behind the rise in censorship?
By Claire Armitstead
‘Is this a book you wish your wife or your servants to read?’ asked prosecutor Mervyn Griffith-Jones QC in 1960. Penguin Books were being tried under the Obscenity Act, for publishing an uncensored version of DH Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover. Griffith-Jones’s words quickly backfired, prompting laughter from the jury and an acquittal for Penguin, who sold over three million copies of the book in the following months.
We all had books that we adored as kids. Whether it was marvelling at how a bathtub could possibly be attached to a broomstick in Julia Donaldson’s Room on the Broom, or enduring the Biff, Chip and Kipper series that many of us were forced to read in primary school, some of our favourite characters and fondest childhood memories have originated from reading.
An article from The Conversation.
By Dina Matar, Professor, Political Communication and Arab Media, SOAS, University of London
Information from PCPro. By Barry Collins.
Language is power, and the ultimate expression of this power is to control what can and cannot be said. From the beginning of organised society, those in power have sought to control the words spoken by their citizens and subjects. Whether this was done for moral, political, religious, or some other purpose, censorship has played a major role in shaping the course of civilisation and history. From ancient scrolls to modern-day social media, control over words and narratives plays a pivotal part in society.
Have you ever felt like you’re surrounded by misinformation while reading a website or scrolling on social media? Knowing what information to trust is increasingly difficult on social media, where false claims frequently are disguised as facts. Learn how to check information online, create and consume content responsibly, and have productive discussions with people who believe misinformation.
This week parliament will attempt to conclude legislation allowing the government to ban young people from social media. It’s taken weeks of ‘ping-pong’ to land on the specific form that these restrictions will take, and there has been no shortage of ideas. Tory peer Lord Nash’s proposals would introduce a blanket ban on all social media for under-16s, while the government is angling to implement restrictions on features and even introduce online curfews.
Information from YouGov. By Rosie Forsyth.
Article 10 protects your right to hold your own opinions
Article 10 protects your right to hold your own opinions and to express them freely without government interference.
The conviction of Liverpool atheist Harry Taylor for placing ‘offensive’ cartoons in an airport prayer room has caused controversy among secularists. Butterflies and Wheels’ Ophelia Benson and Paul Sims of New Humanist magazine go head to head.
Imagine seeing a dramatic video online with a headline that makes you stop scrolling. It might claim that something shocking has happened, show an emotional image, or warn people to share it quickly. Today, information can spread across the world in minutes, especially through social media. This can be useful, but it can also make it harder to know what is true. How can we tell the difference between truth, lies, mistakes, and manipulation?
Those with less progressive views on divisive social topics feel more reluctant to voice their opinion.
By Matthew Smith, Head of Data Journalism
In brief
Cancel culture consists in boycotting a public figure, whose words or actions are considered problematic.
