Want to receive this digest in your inbox? To subscribe, simply click here and choose DARE: Daily Alert on Rights and Expression from the list.

Advertising companies boost fake news as spread of disinformation overwhelms easy access to quality journalism. (See PEN America’s most recent report on the spread of fraudulent news.) New White House rules for press credentials prompt concerns and seen as ‘slippery slope’ to limiting press freedom. (See PEN America’s lawsuit against the president for his threats and retaliation against members of the press and media organizations.) Chelsea Manning released from jail, where she had been held for refusing to testify in WikiLeaks case. 42 state attorneys general write to Federal Communications Commission urging the agency to adopt new rules to combat spoof and robocalls. -Nora Benavidez, Director of U.S. Free Expression Programs

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

U.S.

Fake News Is Getting a Big Boost from Real Companies
More advertising money is being funneled away from legitimate news websites and to click-bait ad farm sites that spread hyper-sensational, misleading, and sometimes outright false news, according to a new report from the Global Disinformation Index, a coalition focused on assessing the damaging impacts of disinformation.
MOTHER JONES

New White House Press Rules Are a Slippery Slope to Removing Press Freedoms
Under the new White House rules, deciding on a daily basis whether to grant press access to those whose permanent credentials have been revoked offers a strong a temptation to deny access based on a reporter’s latest story.
CNN

Chelsea Manning Released from Jail, Where She Had Been Held for Refusing to Testify in WikiLeaks Case
Former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning has been released from jail, where she was held after refusing to testify in the grand jury investigation of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. She was released because that grand jury has expired. She has been subpoenaed to appear before a new grand jury on May 16 and may be returned to jail if she again refuses to testify.
WASHINGTON POST

AGs Urge FCC to Block Robocalls
“The new rules will enable the Commission’s Enforcement Bureau to combat caller ID spoofing activities originating outside the U.S. to recipients within the United States, as well as caller ID spoofing using alternative voice and text messaging services.”
DAILY REPORT

 
Global

Who Was Most Opposed to Freeing 2 Reporters in Myanmar? Aung San Suu Kyi *PEN Case List: Learn More
The biggest obstacle to releasing two imprisoned Reuters reporters in Myanmar was not the country’s military, diplomats and others say, but its de facto civilian leader: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate and former political prisoner herself who once declared, “Please use your liberty to promote ours.”
NEW YORK TIMES

Singapore Passes Controversial Fake News Law Which Critics Fear Will Stifle Free Speech
Singapore has passed a controversial bill that could equip the government with extensive powers to police online media and free speech. The bill was first drafted last month and, as had been expected, it passed 72-9 in Singapore’s parliament, dominated by the ruling People’s Action Party.
TECH CRUNCH

‘We Don’t Want Another Messiah’: Newly Vocal Ethiopians Debate an Uncertain Future
In a scene that would have been unimaginable just a year ago, some 200 Ethiopians in the capital debated their country’s politics, economics, and expressed their fears over the rise in ethnic violence. The BBC’s “World Questions” current events program came to Addis Ababa on Monday demonstrating how much freedom of expression has changed in Africa’s second-most populous nation.
WASHINGTON POST

Toronto Animator Embroiled in The Good Fight, CBS Censorship Clash
“I was disappointed, but I understand,” said Canadian animator Steve Angel in a phone interview, as a CBS publicist listened on the other end of the line. “There’s the obvious irony of it, but at the same time, I think because it’s pretty incendiary material, it wasn’t a gigantic surprise.”
CBC

DARE is a project of PEN America’s #LouderTogether campaign, bringing you a daily-curated roundup of the most important free expression-related news from the U.S. and abroad. Send your feedback and story suggestions to [email protected]