Professor William Nix Interviewed for Forthcoming Documentary "Stealing a Library"
"It was great to be on the other side of the camera for a change," shared William Nix, entertainment attorney and adjunct professor of the Straus Institute course Selected Issues: Entertainment Disputes, reflecting on his recent interview for the forthcoming documentary "Stealing a Library." The film, directed and produced by Jennifer Prescott, takes an unflinching look at the rising wave of book bans—beginning with the Huntington Beach Library—and expands to the national crisis of censorship and content suppression.
Professor Nix, who brings decades of experience in media, law, and public advocacy to his teaching, was invited to speak on the legal and historical dimensions of this urgent issue. Drawing upon his early work with the ACLU and his service on the Communications/Media Committee, as well as his time as Counsel to the Motion Picture Association’s Classification Rating Administration, Nix offered a nuanced view of the constitutional “balancing act” between public oversight and private content rights. “Any attempt by political or special interest groups to enforce unilateral control over collections and free thought is a threat to our democracy,” he notes.
Grounded in research from PEN America’s Beyond the Shelves report, the documentary highlights how censorship disproportionately affects underserved communities, for whom libraries often serve as the primary conduit to information and education. “John Adams once wrote that public schools are ‘necessary for the preservation of rights and liberties,’” Nix emphasized. “That ideal extends directly to our public libraries, which play a vital role in sustaining a pluralistic, informed society.”
California has responded with the landmark Freedom to Read Act, passed in October 2024, aiming to protect access to diverse literature and perspectives. However, as Nix points out, similar protections are not uniform across the country. Legal battles over censorship and book banning are now playing out in courts at a level not seen in decades, with ripple effects that touch not only libraries and schools but entertainment media, publishing, and tech platforms.
“The emergence of the Internet and social media hasn’t simplified the legal questions around content; it’s intensified them,” Nix explains. “But these are exactly the kinds of complex, real-world challenges we explore in Entertainment Disputes. It's a field where legal principles intersect with evolving technologies, cultural norms, and constitutional rights.”
As a legal scholar, practitioner, and advocate, prof William Nix continues to champion the importance of content freedom, both in the classroom and in the public square. His recent participation in "Stealing a Library'" emphasizes the ongoing relevance of entertainment law to some of the most pressing issues of our time.