Barry Trotter Done Gone: the Perils of Publishing Parody,” Which Was Held at the 2002 ALA Annual Conference, in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 17
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ISSN 0028-9485 November 2002 Vol. LI No. 6 Following are edited speeches from the program “Barry Trotter Done Gone: The Perils of Publishing Parody,” which was held at the 2002 ALA Annual Conference, in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 17. introductory remarks by Margo Crist Good afternoon, and welcome to our program “Barry Trotter Done Gone: The Perils of Publishing Parody.” I am Margo Crist, chair of the ALA’s Intellectual Freedom Committee. We are pleased to present this program in conjunction with the Association of American Publishers and the American Booksellers Foundation For Free Expression. I’d “Barry Trotter like to take a moment to introduce our co-sponsors. Judith Platt is Director of AAP’s Freedom to Read Program and Chris Finan is President of the American Booksellers done gone”: Foundation for Free Experssion. Our distinguished panel this afternoon is made up of Michael Gerber, Bruce Rich, and Wendy Strothman, who will discuss the art of parody, the legal issues and publishing deci- perils of sions involved in publishing parody, and how the publication—and challenge to—The Wind Done Gone have affected the publishing environment. publishing Michael Gerber, author of Barry Trotter and the Unauthorized Parody, will begin by providing a history and framework for our discussion. Michael is a life-long humorist and has been widely published with commentaries and humor appearing in The New Yorker, parody The Atlantic Monthly, Esquire, The Wall Street Journal, and numerous other publications. He also has written for PBS, NPR and Saturday Night Live. While at Yale University, where he graduated in 1991 in history, Michael resurrected The Yale Record, America’s oldest college humor magazine. Michael currently serves as President of the Record’s Alumni Board. Second, we will hear from R. Bruce Rich, a nationally recognized expert in intellec- tual property law, who specializes on the problems of communications industry clients, including book, magazine and newspaper publishers, broadcasters, cable television enti- ties, and their trade associations. His areas of concentration include the First Amendment, music licensing, copyright, trademark and anti-trust. (continued on page 282) Published by the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee, Margo Crist, Chairperson The Grooming of Alice ..................................................256 in this issue Harry Potter series ........................................................282 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings ................................258 “Barry Trotter done gone” ............................................249 It’s Perfectly Normal......................................................256 A Midsummer Night’s Dream ........................................252 most censored stories of 2001–2002 ............................251 Of Mice and Men ..........................................................280 Sari Says ........................................................................256 Taming the Star Runner ................................................252 book groups protest secrecy on subpoenas....................252 The Tarnished Lady ......................................................255 To Kill a Mockingbird....................................................252 school book challenges in Texas ..................................252 The Wind Done Gone ....................................................279 The Witch of Blackbird Pond ........................................257 AAUP to review 9/11 impact ........................................253 periodicals First Amendment survey................................................253 Bay Area Reporter ........................................................255 Hustler............................................................................295 terror war erodes web freedom......................................254 The Innovator [Governors St. U.]..................................259 Mature Nympho ............................................................295 Muslim Council offers library materials ......................254 Naughty Neighbors ........................................................295 Penthouse ......................................................................295 censorship dateline: libraries, schools, Playgirl ..........................................................................295 student press, universities, periodicals, foreign ....................................................................255 films Madame Bovary ............................................................279 from the bench: war on terrorism, schools, Sex and Lucia ................................................................293 universities, church and state, periodicals, Training Day..................................................................279 Internet, parody and copyright, secrecy, etc...........263 is it legal?: war on terrorism, schools, colleges and universities, film, recordings, police misconduct, ............................................................273 success stories: libraries, schools, university, church and state, government secrecy....................279 Views of contrubutors to the Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom are not necessarily those of the editors, the Intellectual Freedom targets of the censor Committee, or the American Library Association. books Achingly Alice ................................................................256 (ISSN 0028-9485) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ............................252 Alice in Lace ..................................................................256 Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom is published bimonthly (Jan., Approaching the Qur’an................................................268 March, May, July, Sept., Nov.) by the American Library Barry Trotter ..................................................................249 Association, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. Subscriptions: $40 per year (includes annual index), back issues $8 each from Becoming Visible............................................................255 Subscription Department, American Library Association. Editorial Bridge to Terabithia ......................................................257 mail should be addressed to the Office of Intellectual Freedom, Epic of Gilgamesh..........................................................258 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, Illinois 60611. Periodical postage paid Foreign Relations of the United States, 1946–1958, at Chicago, IL at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send vol. XVI ..................................................................282 address changes to Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. 250 Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom most censored stories of Project Censored’s No. 1 story, corporate takeover of the airwaves. 2001–2002 Certainly given the stakes and the media’s inability to The media research group Project Censored at Sonoma cover itself, one can’t quarrel with the choice. Media own- State University on August 28 announced its list of the most ership and deregulation could rank as the No. 1 ignored under-covered “censored” news stories of 2001-2002. The story every year. censored news stories are published in the annual book Project Censored focused its beam on the narrow issue Censored 2003 from Seven Stories Press. The Sonoma of the radio spectrum, the subject of Jeremy Rifkin’s story State University research group is composed of nearly 200 in the London Guardian. Brendan Koerner’s Mother Jones faculty, students, and community experts who reviewed story was a comprehensive overview of the entire picture of over 900 nominations for the 2003 awards. The top 25 sto- media deregulation and San Francisco’s feisty Media ries were ranked by the Project’s national judges including: Alliance publication Media File also weighed in on the subject. Michael Parenti, Robert McChesney, Robin Andersen, Jeffrey Chester, director of the Center for Digital Norman Solomon, Carl Jensen, Lenore Foerstel and some Democracy and arguably the nation’s most knowledgeable twenty other national journalists, scholars, and writers. person on media reform, commends Project Censored for “We define censorship as any interference with the free putting communications policy at the top of its list, but still flow of information in American Society,” stated Peter suggests that the public would be better served with a sense Phillips, Director of the Project. “Corporate media in the of the bigger picture. United States is interested primarily in entertainment news “It’s not just the proposed privatization of radio (wire- to feed their bottom-line priorities. Very important news less) spectrum,” Chester says. “The FCC is now engaged in stories that should reach the American public often fall on several inter-related efforts that will harm communities and the cutting room floor to be replaced by sex-scandals and our democracy. They include new proposed policies that celebrity updates.” extend the monopoly power of cable and telephone compa- Project Censored has moved to a new cycle for the nies onto the Internet itself. Soon the Net will be operated release of their annual censored stories. The Censored 2003 like any cable system, with the pipe owner determining book was released in September to bookstores nationwide. every Web site’s digital destiny. Proposals to commercially The annual Project Censored awards ceremony was held at annex wireless spectra are a part of a corporate strategy to Sonoma