An illustration of a man on a ladder putting a book into a shelf while a man on the floor throws a book into a can fire. The shelved books are colored to look similar to the U.S. flag.

How Librarians Became American Free Speech Heroes

In the Past and Present, They’ve Fought Book Bans and Censorship

At almost 85 years old, the Library Bill of Rights is seeing another round of attacks.

The American Library Association (ALA)—founded in 1876 to professionalize and improve library services across the …

A Mid-Century Playbook for Saving Progressive American Education

Fifty Years Ago, Parents United to Get the Far-Right John Birch Society Out of Their Schools

This May, an email landed in my inbox. The correspondent, who’d come across my new book on the John Birch Society, wanted to share how members of this far-right anticommunist …

This Summer, Let’s Screw Book Bans

We Can Use Censorship as an Opportunity to Get People Reading—and Romancing

Ban this column! Please!

It might seem strange to call for the cancellation of one’s own newspaper column. Besides, who needs to squelch such a piece when media audiences are declining …

Why It’s So Funny That Republicans Are Upset With Facebook for “Censoring” News

The GOP Has Had Plenty of Opportunities to Preserve Freedom of Expression Online via Antitrust Regulation, and Thwarted Them All

America’s right wing is in a froth this week following allegations that Facebook has tweaked its “trending news” feed to reduce the visibility of conservative news sites. Maybe it’s true, …