Trump reinstates a modified version of his travel ban, quelling some, but not most, its original critics. A little noticed provision of grave concern to PEN America on ideological exclusions was removed. -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.

Trump’s new travel ban blocks migrants from six nations, sparing Iraq
President Trump signed an executive order blocking citizens of six predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States, the most significant hardening of immigration policy in generations. The new order continued to impose a 90-day ban on travelers, removing Iraq from the original ban.
NEW YORK TIMES

Facebook combats fake news with new warning label
Facebook has started rolling out a new warning label for news stories that are “disputed” by a third-party fact checker. Users can flag a fake news story by clicking on a gray downward arrow button on the right side of an article.
CHICAGO TRIBUNE

My charge for filming Trump protest was dismissed, but others might not be so lucky
One reporter’s disorderly conduct charge for covering a Trump protest in Manhattan, the night after Election Day, was dismissed Monday after two city court appearances. This would be more encouraging if the intervening four months did not suggest that crackdowns on press and protesters are only getting worse.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Birth of a conspiracy theory: How Trump’s wiretap claim got started
An idea first put forward by right-wing radio host Mark Levin is now burning across Washington, fanned by President Trump’s tweets and a huge number of supportive commentators and websites — even though the facts don’t back up the conclusion.
CNN

Demand That Trump appointees and allies answer the question: Will You defend freedom of the press?
President Trump’s attacks on media send a dangerous message to the world’s press freedom predators, and every member of the Trump team should be pressed on the question of whether they will respect the First Amendment to the Constitution they have sworn to uphold.
THE NATION

 
Global

Ecuador’s presidential election could have big consequences for the fate of Wikileaks’ Julian Assange
There is less than a month to go before the second round of Ecuador’s presidential election, the outcome of which could end Julian Assange’s five-year stay in the country’s London embassy. The government has hosted Assange since June 2012, when he fled bail and requested asylum in Ecuador to avoid extradition to Sweden.
BUSINESS INSIDER

Media blackouts muddle objectivity
Syria was deemed the deadliest location for journalists in 2016, and whil there is an insatiable demand for coverage on the region, there is a dearth of information readily available. Many foreign outlets have deemed it too dangerous a location for full coverage and local journalists face considerable government barriers.
ARAB AMERICAN NEWS

Report lambasts controls on speech and press
A newly released report has accused the Malaysian government of restricting freedom of the press and speech, noting that most media entities were either owned or controlled by parties and individuals linked to the government, and that independent online media outlets were often the target of legal action and harassment.
FREE MALAYSIA TODAY

Taiwanese universities may be self-censoring political discussion to attract Chinese students
More than half of Taiwan’s universities may have engaged in self-censorship in order to attract Chinese students. According to the Ministry of Education, 80 of Taiwan’s 157 universities have signed agreements with Chinese universities, vowing not to contradict official Chinese views on Taiwan’s status.
QUARTZ

Censored Iranian Film Gets First Public Release, 27 Years After Its Debut
The Nights of Zayandeh-rood, a film by acclaimed director Iranian Mohsen Makhmalbaf, was locked away in the archives of the Iranian censorship committee after its first screening in 1990. Now the film, originally titled Shabhaye Zayandeh-rood, has been released to the public for the first time.
SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE

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