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. 

President Trump again uses the language of denigration and racial slur as he moves to silence former aide Omarosa Manigault Newman based on a nondisclosure agreement signed while on his campaign, not as government employee in the White House. Another new poll looks at the impact of attacks on the role of the press: 65 percent of respondents see the media as important to democracy, while 26 percent say it is “the enemy.” Twitter, holdout among major platforms in not taking down content from Alex Jones, the far-right exponent of false conspiracy theories, suspends him for a week after he tweets line calling for “battle rifles” to be readied against the media and others. -Dru Menaker, Chief Operating Officer

 

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

U.S.

Trump Calls Omarosa Manigault Newman ‘That Dog’ in His Latest Insult
Mr. Trump’s advisers and allies described the tweet about Newman, in particular, as a reaction to the accusations that she makes about the president in “Unhinged”, her tell-all book about her year in the West Wing.
NEW YORK TIMES

Poll: Majority of GOP Agrees News Media is ‘Enemy of the People’
The poll from Quinnipiac University showed 51% of GOP respondents identified with President Donald Trump’s “enemy of the people” line—a result that reflected an ongoing partisan breakdown on the validity of the press.
CNN

Twitter Suspends Alex Jones for Seven Days Over Tweet
The action effectively prevents Mr. Jones from tweeting or retweeting from his personal account for seven days, though he will be able to browse Twitter. The Twitter account for Infowars was not affected.
NEW YORK TIMES

Americans Don’t Think the Platforms are Doing Enough to Fight Fake News
The report, based on web surveys from a random sample of 1,203 U.S. adults, found that 85 percent of Americans don’t think the platforms are doing enough to stop the spread of fake news and 88 percent want tech companies to be transparent.
POYNTER

Broward County School Board Gets Hit With Anti-SLAPP Suit After Trying to Punish Paper for Exposing its Redaction Failure
Last week, the Broward County School Board went after a Florida newspaper, claiming it should be held in contempt of court for publishing information the school district didn’t properly redact.
TECHDIRT

 
Global

Russia’s Indifference to Two Political Prisoners Sends a Strong and Familiar Message *PEN Case List
Two political prisoners, Oleg Sentov and Anna Pavlikova, are in danger of dying in Russian prisons. In both cases, the machine of state terror seems intent on crushing human life in order to demonstrate its power over the meek and the honorable.
NEW YORKER

Mozambique Makes Journalism Difficult With Exorbitant Accreditation Fees
Under new regulations, foreign correspondents living in Mozambique will be expected to pay more than $8,600 per year to report on the country while local freelance journalists will have to pay more than $500 in accreditation fees.
NEW BUSINESS ETHIOPIA

Hong Kong Tells Press Club: Free Speech isn’t an Absolute Right
Hong Kong’s government and Chinese officials criticized the city’s foreign press club for allowing an advocate of independence from China to address international media. It expressed regret the city hadn’t heeded calls to cancel the event.
WALL STREET JOURNAL

Why is Belarus Cracking Down on Independent Journalists—and the Internet?
Last week, Belarus authorities detained at least 19 journalists. The media crackdown shows the government is serious about keeping independent media in check and suggests authorities are ready to implement restrictions on the Belarusian Internet.
WASHINGTON POST

Tajikistan: Rights Groups Urge International Community to Press Authorities to Free Journalist
Twelve human rights organizations urged diplomats and representatives of international organizations to press Tajikistan to unconditionally set aside the conviction against Khayrullo Mirsaidov, who criticized corruption in the government.
TIMES OF CENTRAL ASIA

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]