Media Guide: Reporting on Book Bannings and School Censorship

The rise in efforts to ban specific topics from school libraries—largely books about LGBTQ people and race and racism—is inextricable from long-standing efforts by extremist groups to increasingly use schools as a political battleground. Much of the media coverage of book bans has focused on specific titles being targeted, but in order to accurately tell the story of why these bans are occurring now, it is important to place them in context. The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom has tracked over 150 unique censorship incidents since June 1, 2021, a rate not seen in decades.

For several years, anti-LGBTQ groups have strategically targeted schools—and LGBTQ youth—in their policy and campaign efforts (see below for list of those tied to current book ban efforts.) From “bathroom bans” to school sports bans (both targeting transgender youth) and “Don’t Say Gay” laws that limit the free speech and inclusive lesson plans of teachers, schools are the centerpiece of the anti-LGBTQ agenda. Many of the same organizations are also involved in recent efforts to ban teachers from including concepts about racism in U.S. history in lesson plans as well. Those dual goals converged in 2021, as a wave of legislation sought to ban teachers from teaching certain concepts involving race, sex, and gender. Combined with a backlash to school mask and vaccination mandates, activists have swarmed school board meetings—and sometimes even threatened teachers, school board members, and librarians. Continue reading.

(SOURCE) https://www.glaad.org/blog/media-guide-reporting-book-bannings-and-school-censorship

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