The President-elect makes common cause with Wikileaks founder and fugitive Julian Assange in denying Russian involvement in political hacks and leaks.‎ PEN America announces Writers Resist Lierary Protest on the steps of the New York Public Library on January 15 wth Roseanne Cash, Laurie Anderson, Broadway musical stars and poets Laureate Robert Pinsky and Rita Dove. -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.

Famous Writers Plan A ‘Literary Protest’ On The Steps Of The New York Public Library
The protest, scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 15, at 2 p.m. in New York City. The event is open to members of the public, who are welcome to join “hundreds of writers and artists and thousands of New Yorkers” in a gathering planned on Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.
HUFFINGTON POST

Gohmert: Dems should be grateful they aren’t being punished for sit-in
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) said Wednesday that House Democrats howling over new rules aimed at preventing another sit-in like the one they staged last summer could have had it a lot worse.
THE HILL

American University Is Censoring a Statue Because It Offended the FBI
American University is removing a statue of Native American activist Leonard Peltier, who was convicted of murdering two FBI agents, because the FBI Agents Association considers it offensive.
REASON

GOP legislator rips UW program questioning masculinity
A University of Wisconsin-Madison program that explores masculinity amounts to a declaration of war on men and the university should be punished in upcoming budget deliberations, a Republican legislator said Wednesday.
SALON

This is what its like to read fake news for two weeks
In the days after the election, fake news had become the fixation of the mainstream media. And yet there was no perceptible decrease in the quantity of fact-free fare being peddled by enterprising young internet trolls.
POLITICO

 
Global

Apple removes New York Times app in China
Apple has removed the New York Times app from its store in China after a government request, in an example of how far the company will go to please the authorities in its third-largest market.
THE GUARDIAN

Montreal police have no protocol for surveillance of journalists, affidavit shows
The Montreal police department has never established a procedure for its officers to follow when an investigation concerns a journalist, an affidavit signed by one of its officers reveals.
MONTREAL GAZETTE

Egypt extends detention of Al Jazeera journalist
Authorities have extended the detention of Al-Jazeera journalist Mahmoud Hussein by another 15 days pending an investigation after he was arrested in Cairo last month without charge. He has allegedly been mistreated, had visits from his family denied and has been prevented from contacting his lawyer.
MIDDLE EAST MONITOR

Central African Republic journalists in ‘political’ conflict with former president Patassé’s family
In the latest incident in the saga between the Central African Republic (CAR) media and the family of former president Ange-Félix Patassé, journalists were expelled from the Press House.
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES

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