One hundred and seventy six US military Generals sign letter to Trump asking him not to reinstate torture. In historic first, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) will testify against Attorney General-designate‎ and his Senate colleague, Jeff Sessions, today, citing Sessions’ indifference to civil rights. President-elect spokesperson Kellyanne Conway muses on why her boss is judged by the public based not on what she says is in his heart, but on what comes out of his mouth.
-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.

Military officers to Trump: No return to torture
In a large show of military opposition to reinstating torture, 176 retired officers — including 33 four-star generals and admirals — have sent a joint letter to Mr. Trump urging him not to follow through on his campaign vows to bring back waterboarding “and a hell of a lot worse.”
NEW YORK TIMES

Sen. Cory Booker, Rep. John Lewis to Testify Against Sessions for AG
The New Jersey Democrat said “We’ve seen Jeff Sessions consistently voting against or speaking out against key ideals of the Voting Rights Act, taking measures to try to block criminal justice reform. He has a posture and a positioning that I think represent a real danger to our country”
NBC NEWS

Conway asks press to disregard what Trump says, focus on his heart instead
Conway said to Cuomo, “Why don’t you believe him? Why is everything taken at face value? You can’t give him the benefit of the doubt on this and he’s telling you what was in his heart? You always want to go by what’s come out of his mouth rather than look at what’s in his heart.”
AOL NEWS

Faced With Trump’s Looming Press Crisis, Media Embrace Timidity And Accommodation
Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus has apparently undergone a rather dramatic change in terms of how she views President-elect Donald Trump—specifically, whether she thinks it’s okay for journalists to label him a liar when he constantly lies.
HUFFINGTON POST

The line between free speech and fake news
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states that “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” By 1919, the Supreme Court’s interpretation of those words had led to the doctrine that Congress could prohibit speech only if it posed “a clear and present danger” of serious harm.
JAPAN TIMES

 
Global

Journalists barred from covering secret Nigerian trial
Nigerian journalists have been prevented from gaining entrance into the court premises where the trial of detained Biafra leader Nnamdi Kanu will be held.
NEWS 24

British students defy university tabloid newspaper ban by handing out free copies across campus in free speech protest
A group of students at Queen Mary University London have taken to handing out free copies of The Sun to their fellow students in protest over the controversial decision by their union to ban the sale of tabloid newspapers.
THE TELEGRAPH

Hackers hit Filipino journalists’ website
The website of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) was hacked on Monday evening and could not be accessed.
GMA NEWS

Opposition sympathizers arrested for wearing Gambia Has Decided shirts
The government of President Yahya Jammeh, defeated in Gambia’s December presidential election, has arbitrarily arrested opposition sympathizers and closed three independent radio stations in the past week.
MALAYSIA SUN

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