In response to the President’s suggestion to revoke the credentials of media outlets he deems “corrupt,” PEN America Senior Director of Free Expression Programs Summer Lopez issued the following statement:

“The President’s suggestion to take away the credentials of ‘corrupt’ media outlets is another in a line of this administration’s efforts to diminish the role of the free press as an indispensable part of democracy. The President’s explicit conflation of ‘negative’ news with ‘fake’ news further illustrates his expectation that the press should act like a public relations agency for the Presidency, not as a tool for accountability in government. Presidential statements like this can never be dismissed as ‘just talk’, as they send a signal to all Americans that the President does not expect his fellow citizens to take the First Amendment seriously, to lasting harmful effect.”

###

PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect open 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. pen.org

CONTACT
Anoosh Gasparian, External Relations Coordinator: [email protected]​