The PEN Pod: Tough Questions with Suzanne Nossel
“We all need to be much more conscientious about [spreading misinformation] and also equipped to talk to one another and confront one another. The advice that we give is… More
Joint Statement on Magnitsky Sanctions Against China for Egregious Human Rights Abuses in Xinjiang
PEN America urges the U.S., U.K., and Canadian governments to collaborate on targeted sanctions against China for human rights abuses in Xinjiang. More
DARE: McConnell Defends Blocking Election Security Bill, Rejects Criticism He Is Aiding Russia
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell rejects criticism of his decision to block an election security bill that supporters say could have helped protect... More
DARE: Press Secretary Sarah Sanders to Leave the White House
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, known to have repeated and propagated numerous falsehoods on behalf of President Trump and for having... More
DARE: Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter Struggle to Deal with New Zealand Shooting Video
Social media platforms struggle with managing spread of gruesome video of New Zealand shooting, while police urge people to stop sharing the video. More
Disappearance of Photographer Lu Guang a Troubling Attack on Artistic Freedom in China
"Unfortunately, Lu’s case is not unique. The Chinese government has a history of disappearing artists who use their practices as a platform to challenge and critique the regime’s policies.… More
DARE: Jamal Khashoggi: “What the Arab World Needs Most Is Free Expression”
Khashoggi issues an impassioned defense of free expression and a forceful call for the free press that the people of the Middle East—and the world—deserve. We hope that these… More
Open Letter to Google: Our Concerns Over “Project Dragonfly”
We write this letter in order to voice these concerns in the hope that you will reconsider any plans that would further exacerbate the already grave climate for expression… More
Intimidation of Muslim Poet an Effort to Silence Writers’ Engagement on Xinjiang
“An Ran, a poet, is speaking out on one of the most important human rights issues of our day. Instead of attempting to shut him down, authorities should be… More
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PEN America On 
Book Banning Is Getting Worse, writes @lutzfernandez, who warns against 6 forms of "false comfort" that are "swaddling the discussion."
https://open.substack.com/pub/annelutzfernandez/p/book-banning-is-getting-worse?r=w4bm&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web #BannedBooks #Censorship #FirstAmendment #StudentsRights
Authors are being disinvited from school visits. It's happening all over, not always publicly. Seems to frequently be b/c of a single parent's complaint, controlling what all kids and families can learn. A shame for both the authors and students alike. https://www.al.com/educationlab/2023/01/hoover-schools-cancel-black-history-month-author-visit-after-parent-complaint.html
School librarians vilified as the ‘arm of Satan’ in book-banning wars https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2023-01-27/school-librarians-vilified-as-the-arm-of-satan-in-book-banning-wars