Focus Issues
Because many challenges to free expression transcend national and regional boundaries, PEN America looks at Focus Issues through a comparative lens to identify trends in free expression violations and strategies to address them in communities around the world. Read below to learn more about the prevailing threats to free expression today.
Distinct local contexts can shape threats to free expression and the resistance that challenge them. Learn more the conditions for free expression in our Focus Regions.

The M Word: Muslim Americans Take the Mic
Follow us on Facebook! For centuries, Muslim Americans have played a vital role in building America’s varied and inspiring cultural landscape. But throughout history, their voices have often been marginalized… More

#LouderTogether: Donald Trump and New Threats to Expression
As a candidate, President Donald Trump ran on a platform that was explicitly hostile to a free press, dismissive of the voices of minority populations, and indifferent to fact-based… More

Digital Freedom
Nearly 50 percent of the imprisoned writers on PEN America's case list are persecuted for what they have written or blogged online. In response to this growing threat, PEN… More