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For nearly 22 months PEN America’s Daily Alert on Rights and Expression has been sounding an alarm bell about threats, challenges, and pressing developments affecting our right to speak, listen, access information, and carry out the obligations of an informed public. That clarion call is getting louder: today hundreds of newspapers across the U.S., led by The Boston Globe, coordinated the publication of original editorials highlighting attacks on press freedom, the role of the media, and stressing the essential role that journalism and news outlets play in undergirding American communities, our politics, policymaking, and the nation as a whole. Links to several round-ups appear immediately below, followed by other news in rights and expression. -Suzanne Nossel, Chief Executive Officer

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

U.S.

Journalists are Not the Enemy
“A central pillar of Trump’s politics is a sustained assault on free press. Journalists are not fellow Americans, but rather “the enemy of the people.” We asked editorial boards from around the country to join us today to address this fundamental threat.”
BOSTON GLOBE

Hundreds of Newspapers are Challenging Trump’s Attacks: ‘We are Not the Enemy’
“From Tucson to Chicago; Hartford to Dallas; and Athens to Bismarck, papers across the U.S. have followed through with their promise, publishing their own editorials that bear a shared message: Mr. President, ‘journalists are not the enemy’.”
HUFFINGTON POST

How We Restore Faith in Journalism
“These journalists seek the truth and report it. They don’t promote any single person, ideology, or political agenda. Their only agenda is the truth… While his words inflict harm… [he] isn’t the first to weaponize media mistrust.”
SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE

Kansas Newspaper Goes from Endorsing Trump to Denouncing His Attacks on the Press
“‘It’s an acknowledgment that we’re part of this community,’ says Capital-Journal publisher Stephen Wade. ‘The people who work for me here, my teammates… We’re just normal people, too. To make us out to be enemies is just not right.'”
CNN

The Freedom of the Press is Yours
“‘The president’s rhetoric doesn’t merely spread division and distrust; it is dangerous, and sick. Like all Americans, he has a right to critique the press. But he is also sworn to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution—and this is what he must do.'”
ATLANTIC

 
Global

Russia Refuses to Pardon Jailed Ukrainian Filmmaker Oleg Sentsov *PEN Case List
Ukrainian director Oleg Sentsov has been on hunger strike in a Russian jail for more than three months. Now the Kremlin has rejected his mother’s request for clemency, and said Sentsov should request the pardon himself.
DEUTSCHE WELLE

New Malaysian Government Repeals Law Banning ‘Fake News’
Malaysia’s new government repealed a criticized law prohibiting “fake news”, in a move hailed as a landmark moment for human rights by a group of Southeast Asian lawmakers. “It sends a signal that positive human rights change is within reach.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Palestinian Journalist Detained by IDF for Showing its Troops at Work
Ali Dar Ali, a reporter for Palestinian Authority-run Palestine TV, was arrested in an early morning raid in his hometown of Burham for inciting violence against Israeli soldiers “in videos he published of them while they were operating.”
SPUTNIK NEWS

Cutting Through the ‘Fake News:’ Proof that Russia is Hacking Everyone
Russian influence in global elections is being felt worldwide by billions whether they are aware of it or not. While the U.S. is by far the largest target of the Kremlin, due to our influence and power among our allies, we are definitely not alone.
FORBES

Egypt: Campaign to Crush Artistic Freedom
The Egyptian authorities have arrested over a dozen people, issued new decrees, and have added layers of censorship to silence criticism of the government in a crackdown against freedom of speech and expression.
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

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]