Censorship: Rooted in Democracy?
Posted by Rebekah Lowe / Wednesday, September 21st, 2011
The 2011 Fall for the Book Festival and Ban the Book Week both happen this month with missions to stand against censorship and promote reading among young people. Two community members offered their insights on the book-banning debate. — Clara Ritger
“Generally speaking, we oppose banning books. It’s not to say that we don’t need guidance and instruction before putting books in the hands of young readers. But banning books because some readers don’t like them takes away the right to choose for yourself, and that’s a foundation of American society. Books are a virtuous object. They’re one of the best ways for us to get information and ideas out there. We do exercise judgment over material in the festival, but it is not meant to silence writers or prevent work from getting out there.”
—WILLIAM MILLER, Executive Director of the 2011 Fall for the Book Festival
“Librarians censor things all the time. They make decisions about what will be included in their library. But we believe that parents should have a right to enter into discussion with libraries about what should be made available and what shouldn’t. Obscenities should not be in the library. We’re also concerned about children’s access to pornography. We support parents who want to speak out without being accused of book banning. We should hold hearings on material because that’s a democracy. One librarian making all the decisions isn’t.”
—ED VITAGLIANO, Spokesman for the American Family Association
(Photos Courtesy Jennifer Stone and American Family Association)
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