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The third task of my professional development blog involved engaging in a comment thread and reviewing its value and content. The comment thread was attached to an online article by the National Review Online titled, “Oxford University Press: Authors Shouldn’t Talk about Pork In Case They Offend Others” (Cooke, 2015). This task addresses the topic of censorship, as it involves assessing public opinion on censorship measures taken by Oxford University Press. In the article, journalist Charles Cooke reports that Oxford University Press has banned authors from mentioning pork products in its publications, including textbooks for children. I looked into this further, and as it turns out, OUP does not have a blanket ban on pork products, which was stated in a Guardian article by OUP publishing director Jane Harley (Harley, 2015). Harley explained that “if animals are depicted shown in a background illustration, we would think carefully about which animals to choose. In doing so we are able to ensure children remain focused purely on their learning, rather than cultural characteristics” (Harley, 2015). Given the recent terrorists attacks in Paris, in which two Muslim gunmen killed 17 people at the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, the topic of cultural sensitivity is a popular and contentious issue at the moment. The majority of responses to this article were critical of OUP, believing that such censorship measures are excessive, with one reader commenting “the PC stupidity just keeps getting dumber.” Another commenter wrote, “so much for Charlotte's Web, Babe, Animal Farm (which Oxford publishes), the Three Little Pigs, Warners Bros. cartoons with Porky Pig, not to mention other bestsellers like Storey's Guide to Raising Pigs.” Indeed, pigs feature in many popular children’s titles—should such materials be published in countries with large Muslim and Jewish populations? I believe that in this instance, OUP are ultimately underestimating the ability of Jewish and Muslim cultures to deal with certain materials that may conflict with their religious beliefs. As one Jewish commenter noted, “we Jews aren't offended by pigs (or any other non-Kosher animals), we just don't eat them.”
My comment was as follows:
Engaging in this forum thread provided me with an insight into public expectations and perceptions of censorship in the publishing industry, as well as popular attitudes towards multiculturalism. Different voices were shared, including those of Jews, Muslims, teachers, individuals working in the book publishing industry, and everyday readers of OUP publications. In an increasingly multicultural society, I believe that the question of whether or not authorities should censor culturally sensitive publications is an issue that is highly relevant to the library industry. As a public institution, it is important for the library to cater for a variety of cultural groups, but it can be difficult to maintain a balance between intellectual freedom and censorship (Lipu, 2014). According to Asheim, this balance can be achieved by engaging in a process of selection rather than censorship (Asheim, 1953). He explains that while censors look for reasons to ban a book, selectors consider reasons for keeping a book. Thus, “given such a guiding principle, the selector looks for values, for strengths, for virtues which will over shadow minor objections” (Asheim, 1953). Indeed, I think this is a valuable approach that should be adopted by all librarians working in collection management so that selection policies are in the best interests of the community served.
Word count: 541.
Bibliography
Asheim, L. (1953). Not Censorship But Selection. Wilson Library Bulletin, 28, pp. 63-67.
Cooke, C. C. W. (2015, January 14). Oxford University Press: Authors Shouldn’t Talk about Pork In Case They Offend Others. National Review Online. Retrieved from http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/396356/oxford-university-press-authors-shouldnt-talk-about-pork-case-they-offend-others
Harley, J. (2015, January 16). No, we haven’t banned books on pigs – but sensitivity is key in global publishing. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/15/books-pigs-global-publishing-oxford-university-press-children
Lipu, S. (2014). Library Services for Children and Youth [INF505 Module 6.4]. Retrieved November 27, 2014, from Charles Sturt University website: http://interact.csu.edu.au/portal/site/INF505_201490_W_D/page/e404b92f-e53c-4c40-0009-46e9fe12b59e
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