Advocates file a Freedom of Information Act suit‎ seeking data on the spike in searches of electronic devices at US border crossings. Controversy over a racially sensitive painting at Whitney Biennial brews on, with protesters in a standoff with artist and curators over questions of cultural appropriation. Meanwhile, international media leaders call Trump to account on press freedom citing fears that the US media may be impaired in its responsibility to hold government accountable. -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.

Civil liberties advocates want records on cell phone and laptop searches at U.S. border
In a lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington, lawyers with the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University say they are particularly concerned about the Department of Homeland Security’s policies related to searches of devices belonging to attorneys, human rights advocates, and journalists.
WASHINGTON POST

Should art that infuriates be removed?
A controversy over a painting by artist Dana Schutz has split the art world since the Whitney Biennial opened nearly two weeks ago. The work is of the mutilated face of Emmett Till lying in his coffin and Schutz’s use of the images has struck many in the art world as an inappropriate appropriation that, they argue, should be removed.
NEW YORK TIMES

Mar-a-Lago can’t release visitor logs — because it doesn’t keep them
Mar-a-Lago also doesn’t keep tabs on the identity of guests who come and go on a routine basis, even while the president is in residence. Club members call the front desk to give the names of their guests, but they don’t have to submit details that are standard for visitor logs or background checks.
POLITICO

Will Cabinet follow Tillerson’s lead in media access?
Secretary of State Tillerson, who has famously declared himself “not a big media press access person,” isn’t alone in Trump’s Cabinet. Other cabinet secretaries with a private sector background need to understand that they now work on behalf of the people, who have a right to know what these officials are doing in their names.
SEATTLE TIMES

What George W. Bush can teach Trump about the press
The lesson for the Trump administration is clear: In a media environment where everything the president says is grist for media critics, the temptation to ignore all criticism is very strong. But doing so will only leave the administration increasingly tone deaf to the legitimate concerns media outlets often bring to the fore.
POLITICO

 
Global

Editors round on Trump over press attacks
International media leaders have expressed concern in a letter addressed to Trump. The letter highlights the United States’ historic relationship with a free press and underlines how the president’s actions since coming to office risk inspiring leaders in countries with weaker press freedom safeguards to stifle essential freedoms.
IRISH INDEPENDENT

We examined more than 1,300 journalist killings between 2002 and 2013. Here’s what we learned.
In a just-published study, researchers report were over 1,300 press corps deaths between 2002 and 2013. In a time when media is more vulnerable than ever, the report discusses what these numbers say about the trajectory of how countries view human rights and why we should be paying more attention to these deaths.
WASHINGTON POST

Kenyan journalist receives threats over story on police officers
Another Standard journalist in Kenya has expressed fear for his life after he received threats from people suspected to be police officers. Osinde Obare said officers stopped him and issued threats over an article he published. This comes five days after Standard Journalist Isaiah Gwengi was beaten by police and detained overnight.
STANDARD MEDIA

In protests, Kremlin fears a young generation stirring
The weekend anti-corruption protests that roiled Moscow and nearly 100 Russian towns clearly rattled the Kremlin, unprepared for their size and seeming spontaneity. But perhaps the biggest surprise, even to protest leaders themselves, was the youthfulness of the crowds.
NEW YORK TIMES

Going after the likes of WhatsApp will not stop terrorism
In the wake of the Westminster terror attacks, the assault on internet freedoms and online privacy began. Senior ministers took to the airwaves to announce that it was, in fact, the encrypted messaging service WhatsApp that was the key to the problem, and that end-to-end encryption abilities on the service should be scaled back.
POLITICS

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