News & Analysis
The latest news and analysis from PEN America’s research and advocacy.
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Press Releases • Commentary
DARE: Lawmakers Held a Hearing on White Nationalism. On YouTube, It Was Immediately Attacked with Hate Speech.
Commenting on livestream of House lawmakers’ hearing on Facebook, Google, hate speech, and the rise of white nationalism suspended by YouTube as vitriol surges. New study shows significantly reduced… More
Free Expression Groups Urge the House of Representatives to Reinstate Net Neutrality Protections
"Without these protections, free expression online is vulnerable to slowdown and suppression, which adversely affects freelance content creators such as artists, writers, and film-makers, and many others. Our coalition… More
DARE: Facebook and Google to Be Quizzed on White Nationalism and Political Bias as Congress Pushes Dueling Reasons for Regulation
Lawmakers to question representatives from Facebook and Google, focusing in particular on white nationalist and hateful content and prospects for regulation. Rep. David Nunes (R-Calif.) sues the McClatchy newspaper… More
DARE: Google AI Ethics Council Is Falling Apart after a Week
Google's external ethics board on artificial intelligence suffers early setback as a privacy expert member withdraws and another member is subject to public petition for removal. Nation's largest TV… More
Detention of Writers and Bloggers in Saudi Arabia Latest Development in Crackdown on Dissent
"The ray of hope following the temporary release of three women’s rights activists on March 28, including 2019 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award honoree Eman al-Nafjan, has been quickly… More
DARE: Homeland Security Officials Reportedly Warned in Internal Memo Not to Leak Information to Public
Department of Homeland Security warns federal employees against leaking 'nonpublic information' to the media, addressing whistleblower protocol following agency leaks. (See more from PEN America on the recent leak… More
Washington State’s Decision to Ban Book Donations to Prisons Misguided and Harmful
"Literature offers a way for people in prison to expand their minds, to retain a sense of connection to the outside community, to pass the time, and to continue… More
Georgia House Bill On “Journalism Ethics Board” Raises Serious First Amendment Concerns
"This proposal flies in the face of the most basic freedoms laid out in our Constitution, and pre-filing the bill right before the close of one legislative session and… More
DARE: University of Arizona Presses Charges against Students for Protesting against Border Patrol
Two University of Arizona students face misdemeanor charges after protesting against Customs and Border Patrol activity on their campus in Tuscon. House Judiciary Committee to hold panel... More
DARE: Georgia House Republicans File Bill to Create State Journalism Ethics Board
Republican state lawmakers in Georgia propose a state ethics board for journalists, raising First Amendment issues of government control of the press. New lawsuit filed by former U.S. intelligence… More