Quote:
Originally Posted by GeoffR
The article is wrong to say that this is the first book to be banned in New Zealand for 22 years. The Peaceful Pill Handbook was banned in 2007, and the ban lifted in 2008. |
I think that the media is just confused or else omitted the details in order to make their story more dramatic, a frequent occurrence in my experience.
The Film and Literature Board of Review was first established by the 1993 Act i.e. 22 years ago. So I think the correct message which the media did not understand or chose to omit is along the lines that in those 22 years that it is one or both of that it is the first time the Board of Review has banned a book or that it is the first time they have placed an interim restriction on a book. I think the latter (interim restriction) is correct but don't know about the former.
So not that it is the first time in 22 years that a book has been banned by the Classifications Office itself. I don't know how many books are banned at the moment, but a few years back there were around 250 if I recall correctly, most due to their criminal or extreme content or which have lain there from less permissive times and their classification never reviewed.