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New York State’s Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, a professed champion of women who had spoken out about their experiences of harassment, resigns within hours of revelation by the New Yorker magazine of multiple accounts of violent abusive behavior toward women. Facebook connected members and supporters of ISIL (Islamic State in the Levant) to one another via its “suggested friends” feature. Cache of emails reveals EPA administrator’s efforts to evade the press, sometimes using security as an excuse. -Suzanne Nossel, Chief Executive Officer

The most pressing threats and notable goings-on in free expression today

U.S.

Eric Schneiderman, Accused by 4 Women, Quits as New York Attorney General
Eric Schneiderman, the New York State attorney general who rose to prominence as an antagonist of the Trump administration, resigned just hours after the New Yorker reported that four women had accused him of physically assaulting them.
NEW YORK TIMES

Facebook accused of introducing extremists to one another through ‘suggested friends’ feature
Facebook—which is already under fire for failing to remove terrorist material from its platform—is now accused of actively connecting jihadists around the world, allowing them to develop fresh terror networks and even recruit new members to their cause.
THE TELEGRAPH

EPA Emails Show an Effort to Shield Pruitt From Public Scrutiny
The more than 10,000 documents, made public as part of a Freedom of Information lawsuit by the Sierra Club, show that the agency’s close control of Scott Pruitt’s events is driven more by a desire to avoid tough questions from the public than by concerns about security.
NEW YORK TIMES

College Removes Instructors as Students Find Their #MeToo Moment
Two teachers at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan were removed from the classroom this past semester after students in the college’s film and animation department complained about improper conduct on their part.
NEW YORK TIMES

 
Global

23 Journalists Detained or Beaten at Anti-Putin Rallies Before Inauguration
Almost two dozen journalists were beaten or detained during anti-government protests across Russia on the eve of Vladimir Putin’s inauguration for a fourth presidential term. At least 10 of the journalists “were injured or encountered police aggression precisely because of their status.”
MOSCOW TIMES

Cambodia: Phnom Penh Post editor sacked over article
Several senior staff at Cambodia’s Phnom Penh Post have resigned after the publication’s new owner fired the editor in chief and demanded a story be retracted, prompting further fears over eroding press freedom in the country.
AL JAZEERA

Chinese writers arrested for online ‘slurs’ about dairy firm as Beijing tightens grip on social media
Two Chinese men have been arrested on suspicion of spreading rumors on social media about the country’s largest dairy firm and its chairman that led to its market value losing almost $1 billion.
SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

Uzbek Journalist Walks Free After Closely Watched Trial
A jailed Uzbek journalist whose trial has been watched closely by human rights groups was convicted of calling for the government’s overthrow but walked out of court a free man.
RADIO FREE EUROPE

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