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Katie Dancey-Downs @katiedd.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Who fancies joining me for some banned books chat? My ideas got out of hand and now I’m joining the Substack world with We Read Banned Books. Expect reviews, features, news and knotty discussions. First one goes out next week for #BannedBooksWeekUK! wereadbannedbooks.substack.com/subscribe?pa...

wereadbannedbooks.substack.com

Subscribe to We Read Banned Books

Banned, censored, destroyed. This is a love letter to banned books, from reviews and recommendations to interviews and features, written by journalist Katie Dancey-Downs. Click to read We Read Banned ...

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The Conversationalist @conversationalist.org · 23/09/2026

"I believe it’s vital we go to these museums and face the evidence head on." A tour through Europe’s past—and what lessons we might learn from its museums to fight authoritarianism today. Story by @katiedd.bsky.social.

conversationalist.org

Warnings from the Museum

A tour through Europe’s past—and what lessons we might learn from its museums to fight authoritarianism today.

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Katie Dancey-Downs @katiedd.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Today, I’ve written for @the-independent.com about the shocking state of the water in my local harbour. My community is learning the power of public pressure, how turning the tide on water quality starts with demanding action from leaders, and accountability from those who are dirtying our waters.

independent.co.uk

Did the water in this Dorset harbour poison me and my family?

After taking a dip in their local harbour, Katie Dancey-Downs and her family fell violently ill before discovering it contained ‘dangerous’ levels of E coli, and other locals had been hospitalised. He...

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Andrew Sparrow @andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Reform UK says it would declare 'national emergency' on day one in power, not letting judges or officials 'get in our way' - www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

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Media Freedom Rapid Response @mediafreedomeu.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Nine years after Daphne Caruana Galizia was assassinated, full justice remains out of reach. Yorgen Fenech’s acquittal is a devastating setback in the fight against impunity for the murder of journalists. The search for truth must not end here. www.mfrr.eu/malta-mfrr-l...

mfrr.eu

Yorgen Fenech acquitted in Daphne Caruana Galizia murder trial

MFRR partners condemn the acquittal of Yorgen Fenech in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder trial and back the prosecution’s planned appeal.

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Katie Dancey-Downs @katiedd.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

It’s a sad thing to witness the birth of a new dehumanising phrase. Move over “small boats”, “mega-dinghies” is the shiny new way to describe humans as objects. And so much more threatening, don’t you think? All the while, the conversation around the need for safe asylum routes is ignored.

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Index on Censorship @indexoncensorship.org · 31/07/2026

#Afghanistan: A new book tells the story of the Taliban's brutal silencing of women and journalist @zahrajoya.bsky.social's life of resistance. Nearly five years after the Taliban retook power, Joya is telling her story⬇️ www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/07/meet... @katiedd.bsky.social

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Katie Dancey-Downs @katiedd.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

The anti-fracking nanas are back! What a delight to see my @conversationalist.org story republished in @msmagazine.com

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Katie Dancey-Downs @katiedd.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

This shouldn't have been as surprising as it was. And that, my friends, was my first lesson in remembering to actually talk politics with people outside your echo chamber.

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Katie Dancey-Downs @katiedd.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

On the way into said pub, we bumped into a team from a different department, and the way one of them greeted us really took the beans out of my burrito. He said: "Are you celebrating too?" 🧵

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Katie Dancey-Downs @katiedd.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

There's one thing I really remember from Brexit day. Lunch. This time 10 years ago, my grieving colleagues and I dragged ourselves out to the pub for some kind of wake over the shock Brexit result. Ironically, I think we went to a Wetherspoon's. 🧵

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The Conversationalist @conversationalist.org · 03/05/2026

“Because once we’ve lost press freedom, it’s only a matter of time before we lose everything it protects.” @katiedd.bsky.social on the growing restrictions of press freedom around the world. This World Press Freedom Day, we're reflecting on what needs happen to uphold journalistic independence.

conversationalist.org

The Shrinking Space for Media Freedom

Once we lose a free press, we lose everything it protects.

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Katie Dancey-Downs @katiedd.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

“We believe foreign interference is the reason RightsCon 2026 won’t proceed in Zambia or online.” @rightscon.org @accessnow.org Yep, that’s… that’s pretty bad.

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Katie Dancey-Downs @katiedd.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Having been to @rightscon.org in the past (it was brilliant), I’m so devastated for those who thought they’d be uniting in Zambia next week. The reasons for the cancellation are very concerning, and @accessnow.org have acted admirably in being so transparent.

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The Conversationalist @conversationalist.org · 18/04/2026

New podcast alert! 🚨 Journalist @katiedd.bsky.social reads "Meet the Anti-Fracking Nanas", her longform reported piece on why older women around the world are dedicating their golden years to leaving a better world behind. Listen here ➡️ podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m...

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Katie Dancey-Downs @katiedd.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

How will you spend your retirement? Gardening? Travelling? Fighting the fracking industry? My @conversationalist.org story Meet the Anti-Fracking Nanas has been revived in podcast form, so please do tune in to meet Tina, Dominique and Casey. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...

podcasts.apple.com

"Meet the Anti-Fracking Nanas"…–The Conversationalist Podcast – Apple Podcasts

Podcast Episode · The Conversationalist Podcast · 14 April · 53min

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Lev Parikian @levparikian.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Apparently it’s International Haiku Day. I shall ignore it.

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Erin Ekins (she/her) @queerlyautistic.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

I wrote Queerly Autistic as the book I desperately wish I'd had as a young queer autistic person. I know what it was like trying to figure myself out without access to this sort of information, and how vulnerable that made me. Knowledge is empowerment - and safety. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Queer author from Essex devastated after school removes book

The author says her book was an aid to open up the conversation around gender, sexuality and identity.

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Index on Censorship @indexoncensorship.org · 08/04/2026

In #Hungary, children’s books with LGBTQ+ themes are sealed in plastic. It’s not just writers being targeted, artists are censored too. Index's @katiedd.bsky.social writes in our latest magazine issue. Read it now⬇️ shop.exacteditions.com/index-on-cen...

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Nicola Chester @nicolawriting.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

The Librarians are not the enemy. Great piece on this nightmarish conduct @katiedd.bsky.social. I stocked these books in my school library, issuing them with care/ age restrictions too. The librarian was threatened with disciplinary action, labeled a safeguarding risk & resigned. Follow up below.

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Katie Dancey-Downs @katiedd.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

We did! You told me all about local activism and your book for a Resurgence Magazine piece. It was a very windy and lovely walk!

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Katie Dancey-Downs @katiedd.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

“Historic paintings and sculptures of nudes” are apparently just too much for young people to handle in their art books. Just the latest in the story of what’s happening in some UK school libraries. Brilliant work from the NEU on the fight against book censorship. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Teachers vow to 'fight censorship' after school book row

The UK's largest education union says librarians have reported

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Katie Dancey-Downs @katiedd.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

I literally don’t know what is and what isn’t an April Fool’s Day joke anymore. I give up until tomorrow.

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The Bookseller @thebookseller.com · 31/03/2026

The alleged removal of more than 130 titles from a secondary school library in Greater Manchester has raised concern across the trade 👇 #BookSky

ebx.sh

School's 'removal of more than 100 books' reflects 'pressure on librarians' to censor stock

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Katie Dancey-Downs @katiedd.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

Thanks for sharing our follow up!

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Louie Stowell @louiestowell.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

The book banning school in Manchester has now been named, the Lowry Academy. Some of the books have been returned to the shelves but not all. Glad to hear CILIP are supporting the librarian ://www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/03/greater-manchester-school-library-censorship-who-is-accountable/

indexoncensorship.org

Greater Manchester school library censorship: who is accountable? - Index on Censorship

Now that Lowry Academy has been publicly named, Index has written a follow-up to last week's book banning story

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Katie Dancey-Downs @katiedd.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Not the main point of our investigation, obviously, but a mere hint of how ridiculous this story is. Please do read the update. Traitors and all. www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/03/grea...

indexoncensorship.org

Greater Manchester school library censorship: who is accountable? - Index on Censorship

Now that Lowry Academy has been publicly named, Index has written a follow-up to last week's book banning story

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Katie Dancey-Downs @katiedd.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

“It has come to our attention that among our staff we have some traitors.” On the day we published our investigation into book censorship and a librarian losing her career, the school posted a video promoting their Traitors-style game where staff would be “banished”. It was filmed in the library.

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Index on Censorship @indexoncensorship.org · 26/03/2026

"It is an unprecedented attack on the freedom to read and intellectual freedom" - thanks to @dailymail.co.uk for featuring our investigation into book banning at a school in Greater Manchester ⬇️ www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...

dailymail.co.uk

School accused of using AI to purge library of books including 1984

An investigation by Index on Censorship found a secondary school in Greater Manchester earmarked almost 200 books for removal from its library that were deemed 'inappropriate'.

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Erin Ekins (she/her) @queerlyautistic.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

I want to thank ‘Emily’, the librarian at the heart of this story, for your work trying to make sure that your students have access to my book and others. I stand in solidarity with you against the harassment and abuse you have faced from the school.

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Index on Censorship @indexoncensorship.org · 24/03/2026

#USA: A librarian from Tennessee is refusing to remove over 100 books from shelves at Rutherford County library, saying the action violates the First Amendment. Many of the flagged books deal with LGBTQ+, race and feminist themes: eu.tennessean.com/story/news/2...

eu.tennessean.com

The children books one Tennessee librarian refuses to move

A recent decision in Rutherford County to move 132 books out of a juvenile section mirrors trends seen across the state.

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Jemimah Steinfeld @jemimahsteinfeld.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

Glad that the whole internet is angry about the Manchester book banning story that @indexoncensorship.org broke. They targeted books from Michelle Obama, Margaret Atwood and Celeste Ng on the 200-strong list. Outrage is 100% the correct response. www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/03/scho...

indexoncensorship.org

School book banning escalates in the UK as Greater Manchester secondary school censors scores of books - Index on Censorship

A school librarian faced a disciplinary hearing and scores of books were removed from her school library after she stocked Laura Bates’ Men Who Hate Women

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Erin Ekins (she/her) @queerlyautistic.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

I recently found out, thanks to this investigation by @indexoncensorship.org, that my book, Queerly Autistic, was caught up in a mass book ban in a Greater Manchester school. I’m furious that the librarian, who is autistic, was harassed by the school for providing my book to autistic young people.

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Katie Dancey-Downs @katiedd.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

To create this mega-list of “alleged books with inappropriate content”, the school admitted (in documents we saw) that the categorisations of the books were written using AI. Michelle Obama’s Becoming was on the list for “racism and political themes”. www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/03/scho...

indexoncensorship.org

School book banning escalates in the UK as Greater Manchester secondary school censors scores of books - Index on Censorship

A school librarian faced a disciplinary hearing and scores of books were removed from her school library after she stocked Laura Bates’ Men Who Hate Women

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Celeste Ng @pronounced-ing.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

Oh look, Little Fires Everywhere has apparently been banned in a Manchester school...

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Simon James Green @simonjamesgreen.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

UK authors - I urge you to read this article about a school in Manchester who removed hundreds of our books from their library they deemed ‘inappropriate’ and share. This is appalling censorship - and it’s coming from the school’s head and SLT themselves. @indexoncensorship.org

indexoncensorship.org

School book banning escalates in the UK as Greater Manchester secondary school censors scores of books - Index on Censorship

A school librarian faced a disciplinary hearing and scores of books were removed from her school library after she stocked Laura Bates’ Men Who Hate Women

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Katie Dancey-Downs @katiedd.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

One of the books targeted is a graphic novel of 1984. I kid you not.

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Nik Sunil Williams @nikwilliams.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

My excellent colleague @katiedd.bsky.social has just published this remarkable investigation into rampant book banning in a Greater Manchester secondary school library. 193 books including The Da Vinci Code, Twilight, White Teeth and 1984 Graphic Novel www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/03/scho...

indexoncensorship.org

School book banning escalates in the UK as Greater Manchester secondary school censors scores of books - Index on Censorship

A school librarian faced a disciplinary hearing and scores of books were removed from her school library after she stocked Laura Bates’ Men Who Hate Women

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Katie Dancey-Downs @katiedd.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Huge escalation for UK school library censorship. Nearly 200 books targeted in one school, with the excuse of “safeguarding”. A librarian has lost her job & can never work in schools again. The fate of the books remains to be seen. @indexoncensorship.org www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/03/scho...

indexoncensorship.org

School book banning escalates in the UK as Greater Manchester secondary school censors scores of books - Index on Censorship

A school librarian faced a disciplinary hearing and scores of books were removed from her school library after she stocked Laura Bates’ Men Who Hate Women

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Index on Censorship @indexoncensorship.org · 20/03/2026

A shocking new investigation by Index reveals that Emily (not her real name), a school librarian in Greater Manchester, faced disciplinary action after stocking the book Men Who Hate Women. Nearly 200 books were targeted. 1/4 By @katiedd.bsky.social

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The Conversationalist @conversationalist.org · 11/03/2026

“Because once we’ve lost press freedom, it’s only a matter of time before we lose everything it protects.” @katiedd.bsky.social on the growing restrictions of press freedom around the world.

conversationalist.org

The Shrinking Space for Media Freedom

Once we lose a free press, we lose everything it protects.

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Katie Dancey-Downs @katiedd.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

It’s not every day you walk into a room and a magazine containing your article is thrust into your hands. If you’re as fascinated by ghostwriters as I now am, you can read all about it here. www.thebookseller.com/features/gho... #londonbookfair

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Katie Dancey-Downs @katiedd.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

One of the targets of this bill is literature which includes “stripping, or lewd or lascivious dancing”. The number of times I’ve gone to read my child a bedtime story and been confronted with a pole-dancing Guinea pig.

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