News & Analysis
The latest news and analysis from PEN America’s research and advocacy.
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Press Releases • Commentary
Google’s Development of Censored Search Engine for China a Capitulation to Free Speech Restrictions
"Google needs to understand the significance of their choice. If they move forward with this censored search engine, they will become an active partner in the largest system of online… More
DARE: Memphis Police Accused of Using Fake Accounts to Surveil Black Activists
Evidence emerges of Memphis police department using fake social media accounts to surveil Black Lives Matter activists. Sarah Huckabee Sanders defends attacks on CNN's Jim Acosta. More
PEN America Joins Push to Impose Sanctions on Human Rights Violators
“With the Global Magnitsky Act, championed in Congress by Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), the US government has been provided a powerful tool to deter the… More
DARE: CNN’s Acosta: I’m Worried Trump’s Rhetoric Toward Media ‘Will Result in Somebody Getting Hurt’
As another Trump rally features crowds calling journalists traitors, CNN reporter Jim Acosta, a target of the invective, warns of the dangers from hostility toward media fueled by the… More
Three-Year Prison Sentence for Poet Galal El-Behairy is Another Blow for Freedom of Expression in Egypt
“To criminalize poetry and songs is to denigrate the most universal forms of human expression,” said Julie Trébault, PEN America’s Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) Director. More
DARE: News From Your Neighborhood, Brought to You by the State of New Jersey
New Jersey state lawmakers' plan to support community journalism offers a novel funding model for new and established publications. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), a frequent critic of tech and… More
Sentencing of Palestinian Poet Dareen Tatour to Five Months in Prison Unjustly Criminalizes Free Expression
“It is clear that the government has used her case to demonstrate that it will not tolerate certain voices or opinions, which suggests an uneven application of the right… More
DARE: The New York Times Publisher Met With President Trump to Discuss Anti-Media Rhetoric
A.G. Sulzberger, publisher of The New York Times, raises concerns about dangerous anti-press rhetoric in meeting with President Trump. More
Sentencing of Chinese Political Cartoonist Jiang Yefei and Activist Dong Guangping is the Unjust Result of an Unjust Process
"Jiang should never have been charged with a crime, he should never have been repatriated against his will, he should never have spent a day in custody, and he… More
Journalist Emilio Gutiérrez-Soto’s Release from Detention Is an Important Step in His Fight for Asylum
"It appears that Emilio Gutierrez was singled out for adverse action by the federal government for exercising his right to free expression—for criticizing the controversial immigration policies of the… More