On World Press Freedom Day, PEN America Welcomes Congressional Resolution to Affirm Critical Role of Journalists
Nadine Farid Johnson, PEN America’s Washington director, said: “Journalists are operating under increasingly oppressive and dangerous conditions, yet their role in upholding the most basic tenets of democracy has… More
Book Banning In Walton County Based On Misleading “Porn In Schools Report” Illustrates Alarming Influence Of Fringe Groups On Educational Censorship
School districts like Walton are letting bigoted, unfounded claims dictate access to literature for all Last week, reports circulated that Walton County School District in Florida decided to remove a… More
Letter to Hinds County School District Regarding Termination of Assistant Principal Toby Price
PEN America today sent a follow up letter to the officials of the Hinds County School District, concerning the ongoing adjudication of the decision to terminate former Gary Road… More
For Educational Gag Orders, The Vagueness Is The Point
We find that instead of clarifying the laws, guidance documents have muddied the waters, further eroding academic freedom and students’ right to learn. More
PEN America: Senate Resolution to Preserve and Protect Local News Supports a Vital Sector for a Thriving Democracy
Nadine Farid Johnson, PEN America’s Washington director, said: “A strong local news sector is a key tenet of democracy. The decline of local news in recent years threatens to… More
PEN America to Honor Florida High School Activist Jack Petocz for Organizing Book Ban and ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Protests Statewide
PEN America Chief Executive Officer Suzanne Nossel said, “The state of Florida has declared war on free speech through a series of measures aimed squarely to suppress expression. Jack… More
PEN America: Los Angeles Sheriff’s Criminal Investigation of LA Times Reporter for a Factual News Story is a “Grave Abuse of Authority”
PEN America stated: "To respond to an alleged act of police brutality with an attempt to criminalize an act of factual news reporting represents a grave abuse of authority… More
PEN America CEO on Musk Deal to Buy Twitter: Rules for Content Moderation on Social Media Cannot be Swept Away Wholesale
PEN America Chief Executive Officer Suzanne Nossel made the following comment in response to news that Elon Musk will buy Twitter in a $44 billion deal: "Elon Musk will… More
New Bill Politicizing Libraries in Kentucky is a Massive Alarm Bell for the Freedom to Read
Summer Lopez, Senior Director of Free Expression programs at PEN America, stated: "Though often unheralded as such, public libraries are the beating heart of democracy, making access to the… More
Statement: Florida Rejection of Math Textbooks Raises Question Over Whether Politics Guided Decision
"The Florida Department of Education's rejection of 41 percent of math textbooks submitted to the state--including 71 percent of textbooks for grades K-5-- on the grounds that they include… More