NJ Spotlight News
Poll: NJ residents worry more about book bans than content
Clip: 2/26/2024 | 4m 16sVideo has Closed Captions
A Senate committee is set to discusses a bill that would institute uniform guidelines
Emotions can drive debates over banning books in school libraries, drawing big crowds and strong objections to sex- and gender-oriented volumes. But while raucous board meetings grab headlines, surveys can reveal a different reality, says Ashley Koning, director of the Rutgers Eagleton Poll. "We hear the loud and strong voices but they don't necessarily represent a majority," Koning said.
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NJ Spotlight News is a local public television program presented by THIRTEEN PBS
NJ Spotlight News
Poll: NJ residents worry more about book bans than content
Clip: 2/26/2024 | 4m 16sVideo has Closed Captions
Emotions can drive debates over banning books in school libraries, drawing big crowds and strong objections to sex- and gender-oriented volumes. But while raucous board meetings grab headlines, surveys can reveal a different reality, says Ashley Koning, director of the Rutgers Eagleton Poll. "We hear the loud and strong voices but they don't necessarily represent a majority," Koning said.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipwell it turns out the politics of book Banning isn't very popular among New Jersey residents at least that's what a new ruter Eagleton poll finds the survey of adults released today shows the majority are more concerned about efforts to ban books and censor certain topics than the possibility of inappropriate or controversial content that may be found in them a senior correspondent Brenda Flanigan reports the poll comes a week after lawmakers postponed a hearing on a new bill that would set guide lines around when and how books can be removed from libraries emotions can drive debates over Banning books in school libraries drawing big crowds and strong objections to sex and gender oriented volumes but while rockus board meetings grab headlines surveys reveal a different reality says Rucker Eagleton poll director Ashley conic we hear the the loud and strong voices but they don't necessarily represent a majority the whole of New Jersey residents found 58% felt more concerned that some schools May ban books and censor topics that are educationally important while 35% felt more worried that schools May teach books and topics viewed as inappropriate or offensive to parents and students 8% are unsure we see over half of almost every single demographic say that they're more concerned about books being banned uh rather than about inappropriate content in books people understand that it is unamerican uh to limit uh access to books to limit speech to limit ideas so I'm not at all surprised by this poll and I'm delighted to uh to see it Martha hixon's a librarian who's drawn harsh criticism even threats for refusing to pull several controversial books off the shelves at North hun and Vorhees high school she confirmed a School parent in her District on February 13th formerly challenged the teen book let's talk about it which explores sex and gender the board's now assembling a committee to review the controversial book nobody has to read that book in the library and if a parent is truly concerned about their child accessing it the best way to handle that is to have a conversation with the librarian or the administrator and request that their child's access be restricted not every child's access a bill pending in New Jersey senate education committee call the freedom to read act would provide uniform guidelines to evaluate book challenges limit such challenges to folks with vested interests students parents or teachers in a district and protect school librarians from civil and criminal lawsuits New Jersey school librarians agree and they will continue to do their due diligence in selecting books but there is a fear out there because of the um the loudness of some of the voices in the areas where um books are being challenged today we have Librarians putting books on the shelves that have graphic sexual content Republican assemblyman Eric Peterson's got two kids in North hund vhe schools he says folks answering polls don't realize what these books show he thinks they're so vulgar school librarians putting these books on the Shelf are breaking obscenity laws and that's that's what this bill is trying to do is it's it's saying the librarian's going to decide what's in the library not the elected officials not the people that got elected but the Librarians going to decide There's No Boundaries because they're immune from Criminal prosecution so I I I think that's just awful as for librarians restricting a student's access by parental request how do you know that the librarian is following your your uh your requests that the content not be given to your child the bill scheduled for committee debate in Trenton March 14th I'm Brenda Flanagan NJ Spotlight news
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