Resolution Condemning U.S. Media Corporations' Abridgement of Free Speech

Whereas the American Library Association (ALA) regards Intellectual Freedom as a core value of Librarianship (ALA Policy B.1.1);

Whereas ALA opposes any use of governmental prerogatives that lead to the intimidation of individuals or groups and discourages them from exercising the right of free expression as guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (ALA Policy B.2.4);

Whereas in recent years there have been multiple high profile incidents of US corporations abridging the free speech rights of US citizens seemingly to maintain profitable relationships with repressive governments, including:

• Video game developer Activision/Blizzard's decision to withdraw prize money and ban from competition a professional gamer who spoke in defense of Hong Kong protests

• The National Basketball Association's unwillingness to support free speech rights in the face of government censorship of NBA broadcasts in China over a tweet by Houston Rockets manager Daryl Morey regarding Hong Kong protests

• ESPN's banning of discussion related to Hong Kong or Chinese politics over the preceding incident

• Apple's banning of apps from the App Store that were being utilized by protestors in Hong Kong

• TikTok's US version banning users criticizing the Chinese government and suppressing public views of overweight, LGBTQ+, and users with disabilities under the guise that the app is protecting "vulnerable" users; and

  Whereas these acts permit governments with restrictive approaches to speech to extend the reach of their policies beyond their own borders; now, therefore, be it

  Resolved, That the American Library Association (ALA), on behalf of its members:

  1: Directs the executive director to publish a statement condemning the actions of these companies mentioned above and for other media companies to respect the intellectual freedom of its users and/or clients;
  2. Urges its members to take a vendor's demonstrated support for free speech into consideration in vendor selection; and
  3. Urges its members to caution others about using the TikTok platform, which is financially tied to and heavily supportive of Chinese government interests.

  Mover: Gina Kromhout, GameRT Councilor Seconder: Tara Brady, SRRT Councilor