#LouderTogether: Donald Trump and New Threats to Expression
As a candidate, President Donald Trump ran on a platform that was explicitly hostile to a free press, dismissive of the voices of minority populations, and indifferent to fact-based discourse. Today, his Administration is transforming that platform into concrete policies that threaten to close off artistic expression, muzzle the press, and silence the diverse voices that are part of America’s cultural fabric. Meanwhile, the United States is facing a new wave of hate speech, “trolling,” and online and in-person harassment, with writers often being the first to be targeted. PEN America is defending not only our First Amendment, but the importance of free and open expression and informed debate in response to efforts to undermine these liberties. PEN America is also standing up against hate speech and false claims, using the power of the word to uphold civic discourse and respect for the truth.
Recent Developments
Press Freedom Groups File Ethics Complaint Against Gianforte
PEN America also wrote to President Trump expressing concern that the White House’s denigration of the media is suborning physical violence against reporters, and urged the president to denounce… More
Press Release
Montana G.O.P. Candidate Gianforte’s Attack on Reporter Intensifies Trend of Press Abuse
Escalating attacks on the press stemming from President Trump's repeated denunciations of the media, marked by Montana G.O.P. candidate Greg Gianforte's assault last night on reporter Ben Jacobs, forewarn… More
Press Release
Trump’s First Foreign Trip Risks Sending Wrong Message on Free Expression Rights
NEW YORK—The White House must ensure that journalists traveling abroad with President Trump and Secretary Tillerson are granted the access required to do their jobs, PEN America said today. … More
Press Release
New Budget Proposal a Potential “Deathblow” to Arts and Culture Funding
President Trump’s proposal to completely defund the United States’ federal arts and culture institutions in the 2018 budget would deprive millions of Americans access to valuable and enriching programs,… More
Press Release
FCC Guards’ Manhandling of Reporter Show Sprawling Official Disregard for Press Freedom
FCC guards' resort to physical obstruction of a journalist suggests the Trump administration’s hostility to the press is emboldening other officials to test the boundaries of media freedom and… More
Press Release
Turkey/US: Violence on US Soil an Example of Turkey’s Intolerance of Dissent
NEW YORK—Reports of Turkish President Erdogan’s guards engaging in violence against protestors in Washington DC provide a troubling example of Erdogan’s intolerance of dissent and disrespect for free expression… More
Press Release
Research and Tools
Faking News: Fraudulent News and the Fight for Truth
Warning that the spread of "fake news" is reaching a crisis point, Faking News: Fraudulent News and the Fight for Truth evaluates the array of strategies that Facebook,… More
Report
Trump the Truth: A Timeline of Assaults on Free Expression
The Trump the Truth timeline, maintained and updated by PEN America during the first year of the Trump Administration, was used to track important developments during the Trump Administration… More
Trump the Truth: Free Expression in the President’s First 100 Days
PEN America’s new report Trump the Truth: Free Expression in the President’s First 100 Days clocks more than 70 separate instances where President Trump or senior Administration officials have… More
Report
Defending Free Expression: A Toolkit For Writers and Readers
Defending Free Expression: A Toolkit for Writers and Readers starts by identifying the warning signs of a developing autocracy, then suggests specific actions writers and readers can take to… More
Toolkit
And Campus for All: Diversity, Inclusion, and Free Speech at U.S. Universities
And Campus for All combines extensive reporting and thorough analysis of all sides of recent debates, as well as three case studies informed by exclusive interviews with protagonists in some… More
Report