(NEW YORK)—In response to President Trump’s threat to pass a new law or file lawsuits against authors using anonymous sources, PEN America’s Jonathan Friedman, Sy Syms managing director for US Free Expression Programs, made the following comment:
“The President continues his attempts to intimidate authors, journalists and others into self-censorship, now threatening to pass a law or file lawsuits against the use of anonymous sources that are critical of him. The freedom of citizens to criticize their government without fear of reprisal — including anonymously — is an elemental First Amendment freedom, which is exactly why the President is threatening to go after it. This is part of this administration’s assault on free expression intended to demand ideological capitulation and conformity.”
These comments from the President follow a litany of actions taken in recent weeks and months, often without any legal merit, to intimidate the press, in order to suppress criticism of him and his administration. Among the many examples is a letter sent to lawyers for the New York Times and Penguin Random House in November of last year, threatening legal action for “false and defamatory statements,” in relation to the book Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success.
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.
Contact: Suzanne Trimel, STrimel@PEN.org, (201) 247-5057