New PEN America Report Shows Local Watchdog Journalism Faces a Crisis Moment
“The crisis facing local news is existential. The collapse of media outlets and the slashing of newsrooms are starving communities of the stories and the scrutiny that are vital… More
Cameroonian Rapper and Activist to Appear Before Court, Could Face Death Penalty
"This is clearly a targeted attempt to silence an internationally known and beloved rapper who strives, both through his music and his activism, to critique the government and inspire… More
Arrest of Hong Kong Activists “An Assault on Activism and Protest”
“This is not the justice system in action,” said PEN America’s Tager. “Rather, this is a crackdown against critical voices whose influence the Hong Kong—and Beijing—governments fear.” More
Trump’s Manufactured State of Emergency a Clear Effort to Grab Power and Evade Checks and Balances
"The manufactured state of emergency the President has announced today is a familiar ploy of authoritarian governments—to grab power and evade checks and balances based on a crisis of… 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
Macedonian PEN Center: Fostering Culture and Community
In this month's PEN World, we present an audio interview conducted by Polina Kovaleva with the President of Macedonian PEN, Ermis Lafazanovski. More
DARE: For Local Newspapers, Angry Readers Are a Given. But Killings Send Shivers.
In the wake of the Capital Gazette killings, journalists nationwide reflect on the barrages of hate they receive in their inboxes and social media feeds. More
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YouTube has announced a new anti-harassment policy, under which videos that “maliciously insult” people based on race, gender, or sexual orientation will be banned: https://bit.ly/2YJm71u via @BuzzFeed.
Hong Kong police have made 621 requests to remove social media posts allegedly containing misinformation or defamatory content since January, marking a significant increase from the 81 made in 2017 and 32 in 2018: https://bit.ly/34dP0Ej via @HongKongFP.
. @poetswritersinc has shared their annual look at poets whose debut collections are extraordinarily impactful & insightful. We are thrilled to see PEN America's former Emerging Voices fellow Sara Borjas (@saraborhaz) included among them: https://bit.ly/2Ec953u.