National media outlets have jumped on a story out of Seattle claiming that the American Civil Liberties Union is trying to force libraries to allow access to online pornography. But a quick investigation by KBOO reporters found that this is actually not the case at all.
The A-C-L-U lawsuit referenced in the media reports is actually five years old.It deals with an overly broad filter imposed by certain libraries in central Washington that prevents access to legitimate websites such as Youtube, art galleries or academic websites.
Despite the facts of the case, media outlets like M-S-N-B-C, King T-V and Fox News have headlined the story as an attempt by the A-C-L-U to force porn on children. One phone call by their reporters to the A-C-L-U’s lawyers could have cleared up this misconception.
Doug Honig represents the A-C-L-U of Washington state and gives KBOO a report.
- KBOO