As we brace for more attacks on the press, deliberate disinformation, and attempts to silence dissent, our best hope of fighting back includes staying informed. That’s why each week, we’ll send you a roundup of the best news stories and think pieces on free expression from around the globe.

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DARE To Be Informed

PEN America’s take on the most pressing threats to free expression

U.S.

Customs Officers Detained An ACLU Lawyer And Asked Her A ‘Chilling’ Question
Hina Shamsi, the ACLU’s national security project director, says she was flagged by CBP while connecting through Puerto Rico, where she faced “questioning unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in 25 years of travel into and out of this country.”
HUFFINGTON POST

CNN’s Jake Tapper: Trump Challenging Legitimacy Of Courts, Free Press
Jake Tapper points out how President Trump is trying to “delegitimize” two “fundamental pillars” of American society: The courts and the free press.
REAL CLEAR POLITICS

Unsolicited Advice for the White House Press Corps
The press corps eventually will regain its capabilities by calibrating and adapting their techniques. After chatting about this topic with all who would listen, I’ve assembled a bundle of unsolicited advice that might help.
POLITICO

 
Global

Artists Faced Sharp Rise in Attacks and Censorship in 2016, Report Says
A new report on artistic freedom by the Danish free speech advocacy group Freemuse has recorded a sharp rise in attacks and censorship.
ARTNET

Kenya: Relief for Journalists as Court Throws Out Criminal Libel Law
A Kenyan court on Monday declared unconstitutional a section of the Penal Code that criminalised some aspects of libel and defamation, terming it an affront to freedom of expression as guaranteed by the Constitution.
ALL AFRICA

In Germany, a Syrian Refugee Sues Facebook Over Fake News Posts
Anas Modamani is seeking to prevent Facebook from allowing users to repost the image of his 2015 selfie with Chancellor Angela Merkel after the image repeatedly showed up in fake news reports.
NEW YORK TIMES

China’s gay scene attracts censorship and investment
Dating apps draw state money even even as embarrassed official censors curb the portrayal of openly homosexual characters on television and in other media.
FINANCIAL TIMES

Mapping Countries That Censor the Internet
Now, there’s an app that will test your internet connection not for speed, but for freedom. The program, ooniprobe, is part of a 5-year-old project called the Open Observatory of Network Interference, or OONI.
THE ATLANTIC

 
Deeper Analysis

Milo Yiannopoulos, Hate Speech, and Campus Protest: A Primer
In a season of political polarization and frayed nerves on university campuses, the college appearances of right-wing firebrand Milo Yiannopoulos have become a persistent flashpoint.
THE HUFFINGTON POST

Melissa McCarthy on ‘SNL’ shows the power comedians have under a Trump presidency
Trump is running the government as a president who cares deeply about appearances—so much so that a “Saturday Night Live” sketch could affect how he does it.
THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE

 

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Prefer to receive this news digest daily? To subscribe, simply click here and choose DARE: Daily Alert on Rights and Expression from the list.