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President Trump signs executive order including terms that deal with free speech and inquiry on university campuses, drawing reactions from wide array of civil society and higher education organizations about its possible chilling effects. (See PEN America’s statement on the Order here.) Man pleads guilty in federal court to mailing bombs and other devices to politicians and journalists. An inside look into how The New York Times decides what projects, stories, and other issues to investigate. U.S. House of Representatives set to vote in April on legislative proposal to reinstate net neutrality. (Learn more from PEN America about why net neutrality is important here.) -Nora Benavidez, Director of U.S. Free Expression Programs

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

U.S.

Trump Signs Executive Order on Free Speech on College Campuses
The order does not, on its face, make dramatic changes. But it was welcomed by people who say universities are fostering an unbalanced, liberal indoctrination of students—and condemned by those who say freedom of inquiry is a fundamental tenet of higher education, one the government should not be defining.
WASHINGTON POST

Man Pleads Guilty to Mailing Bombs to Trump Foes
Cesar Sayoc has pleaded guilty to sending a wave of pipe bombs to CNN and prominent critics of President Donald Trump. He entered the plea Thursday before a federal judge in New York.
ASSOCIATED PRESS

How The Times Decides What to Investigate
“Sometimes the daily stories are the things that help generate the lead that you want to figure out, and the investigative target. Sometimes they are totally unrelated. Reporters have tips; we have a tip line where we get ideas from. Reporters also have their beats from previous lives.”
NEW YORK TIMES

U.S. House to Vote to Reinstate Net Neutrality Rules in April
The Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives will vote in April on a bill to reinstate landmark net neutrality rules repealed by the Federal Communications Commission under U.S. President Donald Trump.
REUTERS

 
Global

Who Is Zenzele and Why Does the Internet Want to Free Him? Here’s What You Need to Know
Zimbabweans have taken to Twitter to demand the release of journalist and filmmaker Zenzele Ndebele. They claim that Ndebele is being punished for his documentary focusing on the Gukurahundi massacres, allegedly by the Zimbabwean army during Mnangagwa’s tenure as the head of state security.
TIMES LIVE

Spreading the Mosque Shooting Video Is a Crime in New Zealand
While freedom of expression is a legal right in New Zealand, the parameters are more restrictive than the First Amendment guarantees in the United States. New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs includes a chief censor, an official who has the authority to determine what material is forbidden.
NEW YORK TIMES

Teaching Irish Literature in a Time of Brexit
“Beyond experiencing the vast power of literature to reflect social transformation, I hope participants will come away with a more nuanced sense of Ireland than they currently receive from the broad-stroke generalizations of British social and mainstream media.”
IRISH TIMES

From Turkey’s Bursting Prisons, Literature Breaks out
The country has a long tradition of literature written in prison, but the last few years have been especially fruitful. A frenetic crackdown by the government that has put thousands of people behind bars has set off a publishing boom, with at least eight books penned by current or former inmates published in the last two years alone.
WASHINGTON POST

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]