Censorship

Experts think exposure to traumatic content on social media, such as uncensored images coming out of the Middle East, can give some people PTSD. So what signs should you look out for, and how can you protect yourself?

A Western Sydney a council attempted to ban a book about same-sex parents from its local libraries.

Staff at a media company that produces satirical political videos are warned they could face jail time and a fine over a video that shows Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff's face, as it could be seen as "advertisement".

The Online Safety Act allows authorities to remove prohibited content and to punish those that posted it.

Leading artist Mike Parr has been dropped by prominent Jewish gallerist Anna Schwartz this week following a performance that included references to the conflict in Gaza.

The US has seen a sharp rise in book bans over the past two years, with thousands of publications removed from school bookshelves, and the push for censorship is widening.

Iranian cinema has long been the darling of the international film festival circuit, earning praise and awards at prestigious film festivals. But protests across Iran sparked by the death-in-custody of Mahsa Jina Amini in September 2022 ushered in a new kind of challenge for filmmakers working under the strict censorship rules of the Islamic Republic. 

Police allege a Cantonese work of fiction Andrew Chan edited for a writing competition three years earlier violated Hong Kong's national security law, and when they found out he was overseas they threatened his family with arrest if they did not contact him.

Papua New Guinea's chief censor has temporarily banned venues and broadcasters from playing music by a controversial local singer after a complaint several songs contain "emotionally triggering lyrics", but how the tracks are triggering remains unclear.

Various versions of the pro-democracy protest anthem Glory to Hong Kong disappear from music streaming services including Apple's iTunes Store and Spotify after the city's government seeks an injunction banning the song.

China's cyberspace regulator says the posts have been deleted following a two-month probe into alleged misinformation, illegal profiteering, and impersonation of state officials, among other "pronounced problems".

The Chinese social media account of a Malaysian comedian best known for mocking Western chefs is banned after making jokes about China.

China slapped one of the country's best-known comedy companies with a $3.1 million penalty, accusing it of "harming society" after a military joke made by one of its comedians drew strong public criticism.

Education authorities in the US county of Duval, in Florida, reject claims a book by renowned Australian children's author Mem Fox has been banned from classrooms, saying the work has instead been "approved" for school libraries and is not on a list of 21 "not-approved" titles.

Novelist Salman Rushdie has warned that countries in the West face the most-severe threats to freedom of expression and freedom to publish in his lifetime, speaking nine months after a man repeatedly stabbed him while he was on stage in New York.

Hong Kong — which returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997 with a promise of wide-ranging freedoms — has in recent years curbed liberties under the China-imposed national security law, but is now cracking down on Tiananmen Square massacre content.

Renowned children's author Mem Fox says a message from her literary agent that one of her books had been banned in the US state of Florida made her "howl with laughter".

A Russian girl who was sent to an orphanage after drawing an anti-war picture, for which her father was convicted for discrediting the armed forces, has been collected by her mother who has not lived with the family for at least seven years.

Chinese censors have in the past targeted the film's main character, originally conceptualised by English author A A Milne, due to memes that compare the bumbling bear to President Xi Jinping.

A young Australian tells Q+A she has been forced to forego her education due to the spiralling cost of living, opening the door for economist Gigi Foster to blame COVID-era government policy for rising inflation in Australia. 

The ban is the latest in a political tug-of-war between the former-cricket-star-turned-Islamist politician and the government of his successor, Shahbaz Sharif, as Imran Khan campaigns for early elections.

Penguin Random House announces it will publish "classic" unaltered versions of Roald Dahl's children's novels after it received criticism for cuts and rewrites in new editions.

Changes in new editions of Roald Dahl's books, including calling Augustus Gloop "enormous" rather than "fat", have been criticised by writers. 

The episode focused on censorship and diversity in the media in the wake of a damning diversity report and the coronavirus pandemic.

A Facebook post made blogger Bui Van Thuan the latest target of Vietnam's tightening grip on the internet, as online censorship across Asia alarms human rights groups.