In this week’s edition: Free speech issues continue to dominate the news; librarians face increasing risks due to book banning; a new Florida law allows state lawmakers to deny funding to colleges and universities if the legislature disapproves of students’ and faculty’s political views; a disinformation campaign ends an attempt to address misinformation; unionized workers at HarperCollins authorize a strike; Greywolf Press appoints a new publisher; and more.

HarperCollins Union Authorizes Strike
Publishers Weekly
More than 250 unionized HarperCollins employees in the design, editorial, legal, marketing, publicity, and sales departments have voted to authorize a strike if the publisher does not agree to a fair contract. The union has not set a deadline for a strike and will continue to work without a contract until a deal is reached.

With Rising Book Bans, Librarians Have Come Under Attack
The New York Times
As conservative lawmakers and activist groups across the country continue to push book bans, librarians are increasingly facing personal attacks, harassment, physical threats, and even criminal complaints.

DeSantis Signs Bill Requiring Survey of Florida Students, Professors on Their Political Views
Salon
A new law in Florida requires state colleges and universities to survey students and faculty on their political views and could allow the Republican-led legislature to deny them funding if legislators don’t like the responses. Survey results will not necessarily be anonymous, causing many staff to worry about personal repercussions as well.

Jesmyn Ward has Won the 2022 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction
Lit Hub
At 45 years of age, two-time National Book Award-winner Jesmyn Ward has become the youngest author to win the Library of Congress Prize. The prize was established in 2008 as a lifetime achievement award that honors “an American literary writer whose body of work is distinguished not only for its mastery of the art but also for its originality of thought and imagination.”

Graywolf Press Has Found Its New Alpha
Lit Hub
Poet Carmen Giménez will become the new Executive Director and Publisher of Graywolf Press, the award-winning nonprofit publishing house, on August 8. Giménez is a queer Latinx poet and editor and the author of six collections of poetry. Her latest collection, Be Recorder (2019), was a finalist for the National Book Award in Poetry, the PEN Open Book Award, the Audre Lorde Award for Lesbian Poetry, and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.

Disinformation Has Become Another Untouchable Problem in Washington
The New York Times
A Department of Homeland Security board tasked with monitoring the threat disinformation poses to national security lasted mere weeks before being shut down amid widespread criticism, leaving experts to wonder if anything can be done about the problem.