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Free media are essential for democracy, says UN chief, urging for transparent and reliable information ahead of World Press Freedom Day on May 3. (See PEN America’s national campaign for World Press Freedom Day, focusing on domestic threats to our free press, and sign our petition here.) President Trump’s reelection campaign will not clarify whether it will use hacked information in the 2020 election, raising questions about integrity and misinformation. (See PEN America’s recent report on the effect of misinformation on election cycles and what candidates can do to reject these tactics.) Twitter employee explains how the platform moderates white supremacist content differently than ISIS content because any stricter moderation would impact some Republican politicians’ accounts. Philanthropies pour money into possible solutions to fund local news in effort to improve government accountability. -Nora Benavidez, Director of U.S. Free Expression Programs

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

U.S.

Free Media Essential for Democracy: UN Chief on World Press Freedom Day
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has underscored the need for free press disseminating reliable information to maintain peace and justice, especially during elections as “facts, not falsehoods” should guide the people while choosing their representatives.
BUSINESS STANDARD

Why Won’t Twitter Treat White Supremacy like ISIS? Because It Would Mean Banning Some Republican Politicians Too.
A Twitter employee who works on machine learning believes that a proactive, algorithmic solution to white supremacy would also catch Republican politicians. Banning politicians wouldn’t be accepted by society as a trade-off for flagging all of the white supremacist propaganda, he argued.
MOTHERBOARD

Will It Use Hacked Materials Again? Trump Campaign Will Not Say
Trump’s reelection campaign won’t say whether it would use stolen information from hacks or other breaches, setting up a clash with Democratic rivals who have pledged to forgo such tactics and prompting some worry in Trump’s own party.
WASHINGTON POST

Local News in America Is Dying. Charity Might Save It
Backed by almost $10 million from philanthropies and individuals, the New York-based news organization has more than double the cash that nonprofit-pioneer the Texas Tribune had when it started 10 years ago. Still, the City’s publisher is taking nothing for granted. A former investment banker, John Wotowicz is constantly looking for additional sources of funding.
BLOOMBERG

 
Global

Police Seek Public’s Help to Find Killer of Journalist Lyra McKee
Police in Northern Ireland have released fresh footage of a man believed to be the New IRA gunman who killed the journalist Lyra McKee in Derry last week. The New IRA, a dissident republican group, has admitted one of its members shot McKee. The group apologized and said the gunman was aiming at police.
GUARDIAN

In Eritrea, Jailed Journalists Continue to Languish
“The government says the individuals it targets aren’t legitimate journalists, but rather pawns of opposition groups or foreign powers intent on subverting the ruling party. Temesghen Debesai, a former anchor for state-run EriTV who now lives in London, said reporting on jailed journalists isn’t possible within Eritrea.”
VOICE OF AMERICA

Austria Broadcaster Defends Journalist Who Compared Far-Right Poster to Nazis
Austria’s public broadcaster ORF defended its top news anchor on Friday after a far right politician threatened the journalist with “consequences” for comparing an anti-immigrant poster to Nazi propaganda.
REUTERS

Experts Say Storytime Can Help Children Recover from Trauma
A non-profit organization called We Love Reading has trained adult volunteers to read aloud to refugee children. It also designs and supplies the books, which have been written to include scenarios that are relevant to the children’s personal experiences.
MENTAL FLOSS

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]