This seemed appropriate to the Enola Gay discussion.
How many museums planning to do exhibits for schools
are prepared to contend with Newt and his buddies.
Phil Agre of the Red Rock Eater News Service threw this
over the electronic transom.
If you don't know Phil and RRE you can subscribe:
[log in to unmask]
or visit his web site:
http://communication.ucsd.edu/pagre/rre.html
Robbin Murphy
[log in to unmask]
--------------------FORWARDED MESSAGE--------------------------
Date: 12 Feb 95 18:20:32 EST
From: Jon Wiener <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Censorship at Apple Computers
If you have the time, please e-mail [log in to unmask],
urging him to resist pressure from right-wing groups seeking a
patriotically correct history. And feel free to pass this on to others.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 12 Feb 1995 13:10:39 -0500 (EST)
From: Eric Foner <[log in to unmask]>
IS THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY ONLY OPEN TO "EDUCATIONALLY
APPROPRIATE" HISTORY?
As members of the board of directors of the American Social
History Project (ASHP) we want to bring to your attention the
recent attempt by Apple Computer to censor the Project's WHO
BUILT AMERICA? FROM THE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF 1876 TO THE
GREAT WAR OF 1914 (WBA), a CD-ROM conceived and written by Roy
Rosenzweig, Steve Brier and Joshua Brown, and published by the
Voyager Company in 1993.
In January 1995, after distributing more than 12,000 copies
of WBA in the previous month as part of its "Apple Educational
Series: Elementary and Secondary Reference" bundle installed in
computers sold to schools, Apple informed the Voyager Company
about unspecified complaints regarding material in the disk
discussing homosexuality, birth control, and abortion between
1876 and 1914. Voyager refused Apple's request to make the CD-
ROM "educationally appropriate" by removing all references to
these subjects. The material that Apple wanted censored
represents a small number of historical documents and oral-
history interviews, the equivalent of 40 pages and 15 minutes of
sound out of more than 5,000 pages of text and four and a half
hours of sound. The inclusion of the history of gay Americans
and birth control is part of a comprehensive social history of
the period that covers a wide range of experiences and
perspectives. On January 31, 1995, Apple notified the Voyager
Company that it would no longer distribute WBA to schools.
Ironically, Apple's decision occurred only three weeks after
the American Historical Association awarded WBA the biennial
James Harvey Robinson Prize as "the most outstanding contribution
to the teaching and learning of history in any field for public
or educational purposes." In addition, since its publication in
1993, WBA has been praised in major newspapers and in computer
trade and scholarly publications for its innovative application
of multimedia to education and rigorous scholarship. For
example, Walter S. Mossberg wrote in the WALL STREET JOURNAL:
"Once in a while . . . a truly exciting, high-quality electronic
book turns up to reveal the real potential of electronic
learning. My latest nomination to this CD-ROM Hall of Fame
is . . . WHO BUILT AMERICA?"
Apple's new restrictions threaten the intellectual and
educational efficacy of electronic information, from interactive
programs to the Internet, an arena that has been heralded for
providing greater opportunities for accessibility, expression,
and diversity.
In response to publicity being given to this case in various
media, Apple has apparently backed away from its initial stance
and now maintains it is re-evaluating the status of WHO BUILT
AMERICA? In that light and in the light of the company's
previous reputation for respecting human and civil rights,
comments from scholars and educators might have an important
effect on Apple's decision. We urge you to write Apple CEO
Michael Spindler to resist pressure from those who want to censor
the past (e-mail: [log in to unmask]; address: Apple
Computer, Inc., 20525 Mariani Avenue, Cupertino, California
95014).
Please send a copy of your correspondence to any of the
three authors: Roy Rosenzweig ([log in to unmask]), Steve Brier
([log in to unmask]), or Josh Brown ([log in to unmask]).
The Voyager Company can be reached via Braden Michaels,
Voyager, 578 Broadway, Suite 406, New York, N.Y. 10012, tel: 212-
431-5199, fax: 212-431-5799, e-mail: [log in to unmask]
Signed
Ira Berlin, Department of History, University of Maryland
Loni Ding, Department of Ethnic Studies, University of
California, Berkeley
Eric Foner, Department of History, Columbia University
Carol Groneman, Department of History, John Jay College, CUNY
Leon F. Litwack, Department of History, University of California,
Berkeley
Patricia Oldham, Social Science Faculty, Hostos Community
College, CUNY
Silvio Torres-Saillant, CUNY Dominican Studies Institute at the
City College of New York
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