Political pressure results in blockage in database keyword searches for "abortion"
Here's an example of how the government is able to inhibit the flow of information by tying federal funding to political agendas: Pressure federally funded database repositories to block specific keyword searches, such as the word "abortion." A librarian working on behalf of researchers and scholars was searching Popline, a database of research and studies run by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (which is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development), and noticed no results came up for "abortion." The Johns Hopkins person in charge of the database said the university began blocking the search term because they receive federal funding and know that the policy implemented by President Bush denies funding to organizations that "actively promote abortion." On Friday, following the publicity, the university lifted the restriction to allow unfettered information searching now. See
New York Times story.