To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

×
      LATEST NEWSOPINIONCLIMATEECONOMY POLITICS RIGHTS & JUSTICEWAR & PEACE
      LATEST NEWS
      OPINION

      pen america

      Banned books

      'Eating Away at the Foundations of Our Democracy': Book Bans Spiked 33% Last School Year

      "More kids are losing access to books, more libraries are taking authors off the shelves, and opponents of free expression are pushing harder than ever to exert their power."

      Jake Johnson
      Sep 21, 2023

      A new report released Thursday by the free expression group PEN America warns that the Republican-led book banning movement is intensifying nationwide, with U.S. classrooms and libraries prohibiting more than 1,500 unique titles during the 2022-23 school year.

      PEN recorded 3,362 total instances of book bans across the U.S., a 33% increase compared to the previous school year. More than 40% of all book bans in the U.S. in 2022-23 took place in Florida, where Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis—a GOP presidential candidate—has launched a massive assault on public education.

      Keep ReadingShow Less
      News
      book bans
      A student holds a placard during a rally protesting Florida education policies

      Republicans Have Introduced 377 'Educational Intimidation' Bills Since 2021: PEN America

      Such bills represent a growing effort to "hijack public education in America," said PEN America's Jonathan Friedman.

      Jake Johnson
      Aug 23, 2023

      Over the past two and a half years, Republicans across the United States have introduced nearly 380 bills aimed at establishing a climate of fear among educators, librarians, and other school officials, according to a report released Wednesday by the free expression group PEN America.

      Distinct from the outright censorship measures that GOP lawmakers have unveiled in a number of U.S. states in recent years, "educational intimidation" bills "pressure educators to be more timid in the content they teach, pressure librarians to be more restrictive in the books they make available to students, and pressure students to limit their self-expression, without imposing direct prohibitions," the new report notes.

      Keep ReadingShow Less
      News
      Education
      'First Step Toward Accountability': Prosecutor Withdraws Search Warrant Against Kansas Newspaper

      'First Step Toward Accountability': Prosecutor Withdraws Search Warrant Against Kansas Newspaper

      "The Record should sue not only to deter future searches of its newsroom, but to protect journalists and news outlets around the country from future illegal raids," said one press freedom advocate.

      Jessica Corbett
      Aug 16, 2023

      The local prosecutor behind last week's police raid on a Kansas newspaper and its co-owners' home—which has been widely decried by media outlets and press freedom advocates—agreed on Wednesday to withdraw the related search warrant and return seized items including computers and cellphones to the Marion County Record.

      "On Monday, August 14, 2023, I reviewed in detail the warrant applications made Friday, August 11, 2023 to search various locations in Marion County including the office of the Marion County Record," said Marion County Attorney Joel Ensey in a statement. "The affidavits, which I am asking the court to release, established probable cause to believe that an employee of the newspaper may have committed the crime of K.S.A. 21-5839, Unlawful Acts Concerning Computers."

      Keep ReadingShow Less
      News
      press freedom
      SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER
      Quality journalism. Progressive values. Direct to your inbox.
      Follow Us
      Most Popular

      House GOP Unveils Budget With Trillions in Cuts to Medicaid, Food Benefits, and More

      'Their Plan Won't Work': UAW Rips GM and Ford for Laying Off Workers Amid Historic Strike

      Auto Giants Refusing Union Demands Paid Just 1% in Federal Taxes on $42 Billion in Profits: Analysis

      Demanding an End to 'Deadly Fossil Fuels,' Tens of Thousands Take the Streets in NYC

      Proposed Budget Offers Horrifying Vision of What Republicans Would Do If They Could

      'A Watershed Moment': California Sues Big Oil Over Decades of Climate Destruction

      AOC Says Climate Movement Must Become 'Too Big and Too Radical to Ignore'

      With Alito's Billionaire Patron Holding $90 Million in Finance Firms, Watchdog Demands Recusal From CFPB Case

      Progressives Slam House GOP Push for Social Security 'Death Panel'

      Study Finds 'Forever Chemical' Exposure Increases Risk of Certain Cancers in Women

      Independent, nonprofit journalism needs your help.
      Please Pitch In
      Today!