The Internet is a smut-spewing predator, the information superhighway to hell. The public library is the place to go for technological have-nots seeking equal access to the Internet. The library provides an uncensored forum for ideas and information. Nobody's in charge. But librarians are coming under pressure to restrict Internet access, so children won't surf into dangerous or dirty waters.
Hate speech is only a click away.
What are the roles of parents, libraries and schools in opening up the world of information to young people, and teaching them to think critically about what they see and hear. It's a national debate. President Clinton's senior adviser, Ira Magaziner, who's developing the administration's Internet policy, said last week the government can't regulate online content, and shouldn't try. In a speech to the Computers, Freedom and Privacy conference, Magaziner advocated privately developed filters and rating systems to meet pornography concerns. In ACLU vs. Reno , Clinton's attorney general is in the dubious position of claiming the law doesn't violate the First Amendment.