Media Censorship
“Act of changing or suppressing speech or writing that is considered subversive of the common good. In the past, most governments believed it their duty to regulate the morals of their people; only with the rise in the status of the individual and individual rights did censorship come to seem objectionable. Censorship may be preemptive (preventing the publication or broadcast of undesirable information) or punitive (punishing those who publish or broadcast offending material)."
Merriam-Webster Concise Encyclopedia |
In the Library
Library Catalog Subjects Headings
Obscenity (Law)--United States.
Censorship Prohibited books -- United States -- History -- 20th century. Prohibited books -- History. Censorship -- Religious aspects. Prohibited books -- Bibliography. Religious literature -- Censorship. |
Dewey Decimal Numbers
025.213 Censorship
303.3 Controlling Society 363.31 Censorship 809 Literary Criticism Need Help Getting Started?
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Keyword Search Terms
Non-Fiction Books
Banned Books Series
Discusses literature that has been suppressed for religious, political, sexual or social reasons.
McGwire, Scarlett. Censorship: Changing Attitudes, 1900-2000. New York: Raintree, 2000. Explains what censorship is and how it has been used in the twentieth century, also presenting arguments both for and against it. Nelzley, Patricia. Issues in Censorship. New York: Lucent Books, 2009. Discusses issues related to censorship and free speech, including hate speech, book banning, access to violent or obscene materials, economic concerns, and more. Sherrow, Victoria. Censorship in Schools. Berkley Heights, NJ: Enslow, 1996. Discusses issues surrounding various types of censorship which occur in schools including censorship of literature, courses, textbooks, and expression. |
Fiction Books
Avi. Nothing But the Truth. New York: Orchard Books, 1991.
A ninth-grader's suspension for singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" during homeroom becomes a national news story. Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451.New York: Simon & Schuster, 1951. Montag, a fireman, faces many personal, ethical and moral choices after being placed in charge of burning forbidden books. Crutcher, Chris. The Sledding Hill. New York: Greenwillow, 2005. Billy, recently deceased, keeps an eye on his best friend, fourteen-year-old Eddie, who has added to his home and school problems by becoming mute, and helps him stand up to a conservative minister and English teacher who is orchestrating a censorship challenge. Hentoff, Nat. The Day They Came to Arrest the Book: A Novel. New York: Dell Laurel-Leaf. 1982. "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is under attack at George Mason High and school editor Barney Roth knows it is time to print his school's censorship story, but he may be too late Reed. MK. Americus. Ill. Jonathan Hill. New York: First Second, 2011. Oklahoma teen Neil Barton stands up for his favorite fantasy series, "The Chronicles of Apathea Ravenchilde," when conservative Christians try to bully the town of Americus into banning it from the public library. |
Multimedia Resources
The battle over Citizen Kane [VTC] / Lennon Documentary Group ; WGBH/Boston. AV 791.43
Hearst pressured movie chains not to show Orson Welles' Citizen Kane because of how he was portrayed in the film. The censorship destroyed Welles motion picture career. Fahrenheit 451 [DVD] / [a production of] Enterprise-Vineyard Film Productions. Montag, a fireman, faces many personal, ethical and moral choices after being placed in charge of burning forbidden books. |
Magazines
Bollinger, Lee C. "Defending free speech in the digital age." Foreign Policy 197 (2012): 52+. Student Resources In Context. Web. 21 Apr. 2013.
"Censorship." Gale Encyclopedia of Everyday Law. Ed. Jeffrey Wilson. 2nd ed. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 843-848. Student Resources In Context. Web. 21 Apr. 2013.
Kirchick, James. "Read me if you can: censorship today." World Affairs 175.1 (2012): 88+. Student Resources In Context. Web. 21 Apr. 2013.
"Political Purges." Gale Student Resources in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Student Resources In Context. Web. 21 Apr. 2013.
"Censorship." Gale Encyclopedia of Everyday Law. Ed. Jeffrey Wilson. 2nd ed. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 843-848. Student Resources In Context. Web. 21 Apr. 2013.
Kirchick, James. "Read me if you can: censorship today." World Affairs 175.1 (2012): 88+. Student Resources In Context. Web. 21 Apr. 2013.
"Political Purges." Gale Student Resources in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Student Resources In Context. Web. 21 Apr. 2013.
Online
Databases
GALE Student Resources in Context
Articles, images, videos, biographies GALE Opposing Viewpoints Articles, images, videos |
Web Resources
ALA (American Library Association)
Information on reader's rights and censorship. Anti Censorship Center National Council of Teachers of English speak on censorship Citizen Link: A Web Site of Focus on the Family Conservative website that shows the conservative viewpoint of civil liberty issues. FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting) Media watch group that comments on objectivity in media reporting. |
Freedom Forum
The Freedom Forum, based in Washington, D.C. is a nonpartisan foundation dedicated to free press, free speech and free spirit to all people. National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) Site that report on incidents of censorship and provide support and resources to people facing challenges to freedom of inquiry and expression. PBS Interactive view of censorship. Time Enter your search term in the search box on the right to find articles about censorship. |
Other Useful Sources
Lesson Plans
- http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/censorship-classroom-understanding-controversial-203.html
- http://www.onestopenglish.com/skills/speaking/lesson-plans/pdf-content/speaking-skills-lesson-plans-censored/149725.article
- http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/case-reading-examining-challenged-410.html
Pathfinder compiled by Jennifer Hamilton, McDaniel College SLM 505, Spring 2013.