The White House bars CNN, NY Times and others from a daily briefing, triggering uproar from PEN America and other groups. Preferring to duck rather than be roasted, President Trump announces he’ll skip the annual White House Correspondents Dinner, a first since Ronald Reagan begged off while recuperating from an assassination attempt. Meanwhile, spokesman Spicer dialed in Congressional and Cabinet leaders with reporters in an attempt to rebut a NY Times story on Trump campaign ties to Russia.
-Suzanne Nossel, Executive Director

DARE: Daily Alert on Rights and Expression

PEN America’s take on today’s most pressing threats to free expression

U.S.

CNN, New York Times, other media barred from White House briefing
The White House blocked a number of news organizations from attending an informal briefing Friday, a rare and surprising move that came amid President Trump’s escalating war against the media.
THE WASHINGTON POST

Trump declines to attend White House correspondents’ dinner
President Donald Trump has announced that he will not attend this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner, a move that comes amid increasingly hostile relations between the media and the White House.
CNN

Australian children’s author Mem Fox detained by US border control
The Australian children’s book author Mem Fox has suggested she might never return to the US after she was detained and insulted by border control agents at Los Angeles airport.
THE GUARDIAN

US Customs block Canadian man after reading his Scruff profile
A Vancouver man was denied entry into the United States after a US Customs officer read his profile on the gay hookup app Scruff and the website BBRT.
DAILY XTRA

Oscars: Iranian winner Asghar Farhadi blasts Trump travel ban
Iranian director Asghar Farhadi has condemned President Donald Trump’s “inhumane” travel ban on immigrants, as his movie, The Salesman, won the best foreign language film Oscar.
BBC

 
Global

German intelligence agency spied on foreign journalists
For almost two decades, Germany’s foreign intelligence agency spied upon scores of foreign journalists around the world, monitoring at least 50 telephone numbers, fax numbers, and email addresses from journalists and editors.
THE WASHINGTON POST

Togo police fire tear gas at protest for media rights
After a call by a dozen rights groups, hundreds of people marched through Togo’s capital for two hours, but were dispersed by police in just 15 minutes as they tried to break through a police barrier to reach the regulatory body’s headquarters.
NEWS 24

Jailed for Over a Year, Indian Journalist Santosh Yadav Granted Bail
Santosh Yadav had been jailed in September 2015 by police who accused him of having links with a Communist guerilla group and of involvement in operations against the security forces.
THE WIRE

TV Journalist Shifa Gardi Killed by Roadside Bomb
Shifa Gardi, a TV journalist covering the battle to retake Mosul from occupying ISIS fighters was killed by a roadside bomb Saturday, while her cameraman was injured. It’s the first recorded killing of a journalist in Iraq in 2017.
NBC

To Battle Fake News, Ukrainian Show Features Nothing but Lies
In other parts of the world, viewers might suspect the evening news is just a bunch of lies, but watching the weekly broadcast of “StopFake News,” they can be certain of it. The group is highly respected in journalistic circles for its specialty of debunking fake news.
THE NEW YORK TIMES

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