Skip to main content
Back to Show
Amanpour & Co.

How Libraries Became a Political Battleground

Libraries are at the center of another polarizing debate dividing the U.S. in the ongoing culture wars. Efforts by elected officials and activist groups to censor books have escalated to levels unseen since tracking began decades ago. Librarians are now on the front lines of a battle for intellectual freedom. The President of the American Library Association speaks about the year of the book bans.

Support Provided By
Season
March 4, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:33
Chris Murphy; Turki al-Faisal; John Sawers
March 3, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:50
Gen. David Petraeus (Ret.); Nic Robertson; Amos Harel; Chrystia Freeland
March 2, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:55
Jon Finer; Ellie Geranmayeh; Col. Cedric Leighton; Stephen Fowler
February 27, 2028
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:52
Jay Inslee; Werner Herzog; Steve Boyes; David Brooks
February 26, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:42
Nate Soares; Morgan Neville; Dr. Jean Tang; Michael Hund
February 25, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:52
Gregg Nunziata, Susan Glasser, David Miliband, Bill McKibben
February 24, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:55
Nataliya Gumenyuk; Michael Kofman; Craig Renaud; Juan Arradondo; Maya Shankar
February 23, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:50
Viri Rios; Max Foster; Natasha Sarin; Vali Nasr; Wynton Marsalis
February 20, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:48
Serhii Plokhy; Billy Crudup; Denise Gough; Emily Galvin Almanza
February 19, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:43
Emily Maitlis; Rafael Grossi; Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin; A'Lelia Bundles
May 13, 2025
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:46
Daniel Kurtzer; Jordan Thomas; Kelsey Grammer
February 28, 2024
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:48
Philippe Lazzarini; Lawrence Wright; Dr. Jonathan Metzl
Active loading indicator