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Links and Resources
The following Web sites also have information about censorship, free
expression, media policy, copyright, and the public domain:
American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, http://www.abffe.com, "promotes and protects the free exchange of ideas, particularly those contained in books, by opposing restrictions on the freedom of speech."
American Civil Liberties Union, http://www.aclu.org,
is a non-profit, non-partisan organization of 300,000 members and supporters
that "fights civil liberties violations whenever and wherever they
American Library Association Office of Intellectual Freedom, http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/index.cfm, educates librarians and the general public about censorship, and the importance of libraries in defending free expression.
Article 19, http://www.article19.org, named after Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, works worldwide to combat censorship and promote access to official information. It has partners in over 30 countries.
Center for Democracy and Technology, http://www.cdt.org, "works to promote democratic values and constitutional liberties in the digital age" by monitoring and advocating on Internet-related policy issues, incuding free speech, privacy, copyright, and government surveillance.
Center for Digital Democracy, http://www.democraticmedia.org, "is committed to preserving the openness and diversity of the Internet" and realizing the full potential of digital communications through noncommercial, public interest programming.
Chilling Effects Clearinghouse, http://www.chillingeffects.org, "aims to help you understand the protections that the First Amendment and intellectual property laws give to your online activities." The site offers a fascinating collection of "cease and desist" letter from copyright owners, as well as explanations of the law on defamation, domain names, and anonymous speech.
Constitutional Rights Foundation, http://www.crf-usa.org, is "a non-profit, non-partisan, community-based organization dedicated to educating America's young people about the importance of civic participation in a democratic society."
Electronic Frontier Foundation, http://www.eff.org,
is "a donor-supported membership organization working to protect
our fundamental rights regardless of technology; to educate the press,
policymakers and the general public about civil liberties issues related
to technology; and to act as a defender of those liberties."
Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting, http://www.fair.org, "seeks to invigorate the First Amendment by advocating for greater media pluralism and the inclusion of public interest voices in the national debate."
Feminists Against Censorship, http://www.fiawol.demon.co.uk/FAC/, was formed "by a group of long-time feminist academics and campaigners who wished to fight censorship from a feminist perspective."
The File Room, http://www.thefileroom.org, is "a catalogued web-based interactive archive of censorship cases dating back to 500 BC. It is open to submissions by organizations and individuals locally, nationally, and internationally."
First Amendment Project, http://www.thefirstamendment.org, is "a nonprofit, public interest law firm and advocacy organization dedicated to protecting and promoting freedom of information, expression, and petition. FAP provides advice, educational materials, and legal representation to its core constituency of activists, journalists, and artists in service of these fundamental liberties."
Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), http://thefire.org, works to " to defend and sustain individual rights at America's colleges and universities. These rights include freedom of speech, legal equality, due process, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience — the essential qualities of individual liberty and dignity."
Free Expression Network, http://www.freeexpression.org, is "an alliance of organizations dedicated to protecting the First Amendment right of free expression and the values it represents, and to opposing governmental efforts to suppress constitutionally protected speech."
Freedom Forum First Amendment Center, http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org, "works to preserve and protect First Amendment freedoms through information and education." The Center, with offices in Arlington, Virginia and at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, is an operating program of the Freedom Forum.
Freepress, http://www.freepress.net/index.php, is a media reform group that believes corporate consolidation undermines free expression. It says: "The government needs to support policies and structures that promote free speech, not policies that result in greater media consolidation, fewer voices and less speech."
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, Committee on Free Access to Information and Free Expression (FAIFE), http://www.ifla.org/faife/index.htm, is an initiative within the International Federation of Library Association and Institutions (IFLA) "to defend and promote the basic human rights defined in Article 19 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights" by monitoring "the state of intellectual freedom within the library community worldwide," and responding to "violations of free access to information and freedom of expression."
International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX), http://www.ifex.org, is a network of free expression groups that posts news, resources, and links on free expression, and monitors attacks on journalists, writers, and others around the world through its Action Alert Network.
Libertus, http://www.libertus.net, is concerned "with censorship and free expression, in Australia and elsewhere." Contains resource material on Internet filtering and other issues.
Media Coalition, http://www.mediacoalition.org, is "an association that defends the First Amendment right to produce and sell books, magazines, recordings, videotapes and videogames; and defends the American public's First Amendment right to have access to the broadest possible range of opinion and entertainment."
National Coalition Against Censorship, http://www.ncac.org, is "an alliance of over 40 national non-profit organizations, including literary, artistic, religious, educational, professional, labor, and civil liberties groups. NCAC strives to create a climate of opinion hospitable to First Amendment freedoms in the broader community."
Negativland, http://www.negativland.com, is a band/artist collective that parodies the dark side of public life. Its Web site includes numerous essays and articles on free expression, copyright, and intellectual property.
Online Policy Group, http://www.onlinepolicy.org, is "a nonprofit organization dedicated to online policy research, outreach, and action on issues such as access, privacy, digital defamation, and the digital divide."
PEN American Center, http://www.pen.org, is "a fellowship of writers working for more than seventy-five years to advance literature, to promote a culture of reading, and to defend free expression."
Project Censored, http://www.projectcensored.org, monitors the media and compiles the "Top 25 Censored Stories" each year.
Public Knowledge, http://www.publicknowledge.org, is dedicated to "fortifying and defending a vibrant information commons" by promoting democracy and open access and advocating against copyright restrictions.
Rock Out Censorship, http://www.theroc.org, is a youth-oriented, "grassroots anti-censorship organization seeking to counteract efforts being made across the political spectrum to deprive us of our First Amendment rights."
Student Press Law Center, http://www.splc.org, is "an advocate for student free-press rights and provides information, advice, and legal assistance at no charge to students and the educators who work with them."
Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression, http://www.tjcenter.org, "fulfills its mission through a wide range of programs in education and the arts, and through resistance to forces that threaten free expression."
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES, INCLUDING ALTERNATIVE PRESS AND ACADEMIC RESEARCH
Alternet, http://www.alternet.org, is an independent progressive media service with an extensive and growing archive of material on civil rights and liberties, including media democracy, censorship, and more.
Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School, http://cyber.law.harvard.edu, is "a research program founded to explore cyberspace, share in its study, and help pioneer its development."
Center for Media Literacy, http://www.medialit.org, provides books, videos, teaching materials, teacher training, and national advocacy for media literacy education.
Center for Social Media, http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org, "showcases and analyzes media as creative tools for public knowledge and action" by organizing film festivals, panels, and public events, conducting research, and publishing materials "geared towards independent filmmakers, activists, researchers, and media specialists." The Center is part of the School of Communication at American University.
H-B Rights.org, http://www.hb-rights.org, a site inspired by school censorship controversies in Hollis and Brookline, New Hampshire, contains useful information and links on students' rights, parents' rights, cyber-liberties, and other free speech issues.
Media Channel, http://www.mediachannel.org, is a nonprofit, public interest Web site dedicated to global media issues that "exists to provide information and diverse perspectives and inspire debate, collaboration, action and citizen engagement."
Princeton University Center for Arts and Cultural Policy Studies, http://www.princeton.edu/~artspol, "was created to improve the clarity, accuracy and sophistication of discourse about the nation's artistic and cultural life." Its goal is "to create an infrastructure of well-trained scholars who have access to regularly collected information about cultural organizations, activities and providers and who produce timely research and analysis on key topics in arts and cultural policy."
Stanford Law School Center for Internet & Society, http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu, is a public interest technology law and policy program at Stanford Law School. It "provides law students and the general public with educational resources and analyses of policy issues arising at the intersection of law, technology and the public interest," and its Cyberlaw Clinic provides legal representation on issues involving civil rights and technology.