Our View
By:
Shandra Jordan, editor in chief
Kyle Endres, campus editor
Liz King, asst. design managing editor
Christopher J. Ortiz, opinion editor
According to today’s front page, an Evans’ mother is protesting
a book her child picked up in the children’s section at a local
library. She disagrees with the content of the book and is asking
that the book be removed from the library’s shelves. If the library
doesn’t, she has threatened to picket and circulate a petition.
The editorial board feels although library’s should be selective
and more conscious of what books they place in the children’s
section of a library (community input should also be welcomed),
censoring books is not a solution to preventing children from what
parents may deem inappropriate.
Adults should be the final filter between their children and the
material they read, see and hear. We know it is not possible to
shadow children 24/7, but censoring goes against the concept of
free access to information. If community members feel the book is
inappropriate for children (the mother said the book contained
positive views of masturbation and acts of gay sex), the library
should consider placing the book on shelves only adults have access
to. To us, censoring is enforcing one person’s beliefs and ideas on
others and infringing on people’s rights.
The library has not to date granted a request to pull a book for
its shelves. Good for them.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.