On 14 January this year the International Business Times published this article:

Oxford University Press bans mention of pork and pigs in books to 'avoid offending Muslims or Jews'

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  By Ewan Palmer
  January 14, 2015 12:41 GMT

One of the biggest education publishers in the world has warned its authors not to mention pigs or sausages in their books to avoid causing offence.

Oxford University Press (OUP) said all books must take into consideration other cultures if they hope to sell copies in countries across the world.

As a result, the academic publisher has issued guidance advising writers to avoid mentioning pigs or "anything else which could be perceived as pork" so as not to offend Muslim or Jewish people.

The move was revealed during a discussion on free speech during BBC Radio 4's Today programme in the wake of the attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hedbo and its decision to use an image of the Prophet Mohammed on the cover of its latest issue.

Presenter Jim Naughtie said: "I've got a letter here that was sent out by OUP to an author doing something for young people.

"Among the things prohibited in the text that was commissioned by OUP was the following: Pigs plus sausages, or anything else which could be perceived as pork.

The next day, 15 January the back-pedalling started, here's the same publication:

Oxford University Press dismisses reports of ban on pork and pigs in books

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  By Ewan Palmer
  January 15, 2015 17:56 GMT

The Oxford University Press (OUP) has dismissed suggestions it initiated a "blanket ban" on mentioning pigs or pork products in its books.

The publishing company also said it has not changed its guidelines, which, as OUP primary publishing director Jane Harley said, have been around "as long as I remember".

The company was criticised following reports it handed out "ludicrous" guidelines to writers advising them not to mention pigs, sausages or "anything else which could be perceived as pork" in order to not cause offence to Muslims or Jews.

The reports stemmed from a segment on BBC Radio 4's Today programme where presenter Jim Naughtie read out the apparent guidelines during a discussion on free speech in the wake of the terror attacks on French magazine Charlie Hebdo.

Writing in the Guardian's Comment is Free section, Harley said OUP has not banned writers from mentioning pigs or pork, but the recent coverage on the company shows balance is needed when considering students' learning needs while also retaining some "healthy common sense".

She said: "To address children's learning needs, it is important that they also reflect the cultural context in which children are learning. In the UK, we take it for granted that we would not include references to sex, violence, or alcohol in our textbooks; to do so would be considered inappropriate and offensive to many. In order to make an impact around the world, there are other sensitivities that, although not necessarily obvious to some of us, are nonetheless extremely important to others.

"While we should be mindful of these cultural sensitivities, a healthy dose of common sense is also required. Cultural taboos must never get in the way of learning needs, which will always be our primary focus.

"So, for example, a definition of a pig would not be excluded from a dictionary, and we wouldn't dream of editing out a 'pig' character from an historical work of fiction. We also maintain entirely separate guidelines for our academic titles which are relevant to scholarly rather than educational discourse."

Harley added the company must consider how to avoid references to a range of topics that could be considered sensitive in a way that does not "compromise quality, or negatively impact learning".

It's all a bit Orwellian for me.