Press Releases
PEN America experts are available for interviews with the press. Please direct inquiries to Suzanne Trimel, Senior Advisor, Communications and Media, at [email protected].
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PEN America to Honor Trailblazing Truthteller Anita Hill with 2019 PEN Courage Award
“As a Yale Law School graduate pursuing a promising career as a legal scholar and lawyer, Anita Hill stepped alone into the glare of the public spotlight to call… More
Breakout Novelist Tommy Orange Wins $25,000 PEN/Hemingway Award for There There
Critically-acclaimed debut author Tommy Orange is the winner of the 2019 PEN/Hemingway Award for his novel There There (Knopf), PEN America announced today. More
Journalist Protection Act A Welcome Step in Giving Press Recourse for Attacks and Encroachments
"At a time when threats to journalists are on the rise in the United States, we welcome introduction of this legislation as a launching point for discussion around the… More
PEN America to Honor Imprisoned Saudi Writer-Activists and Women’s Rights Champions Nouf Abdulaziz, Loujain Al-Hathloul, and Eman Al-Nafjan with the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award at 2019 Literary Gala
"We are proud to honor these drivers of change—Nouf Abdulaziz, Loujain Al-Hathloul, and Eman Al-Nafjan—for their fearless words and actions, and to send a strong signal that international pressure… More
Risk that Fraudulent News and Disinformation Become “New Normal” Political Tactics Going into 2020 Election, Warns PEN America Report
"We see disturbing signals that domestic political actors are beginning to view disinformation as a necessary evil, believing that they have little choice but to fight fire with fire… More
38-Year Sentence for Iranian Writer and Human Rights Lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh Defies All Reason
“This astonishingly harsh sentence for Nasrin Sotoudeh defies all reason. After months of detention and a frustratingly opaque legal process, the decision to condemn Nasrin to decades behind bars for her… More
Russian Bill Punishing “Disrespect of Government” and “Fake News” Online a Dangerous Tool for Censorship
"The language in the bill punishing 'disrespect of the government' is an alarming and blatant attempt to silence opposition. We are extremely troubled to see this legislation advance towards… More
Jane Mayer’s The New Yorker Article Illuminates Trump’s Disturbing Attacks on the Media, as Outlined in PEN America v. Trump
“Efforts by the president to exert his power to suppress the media are a troubling encroachment on press freedom and the First Amendment.” More
Charges Against Marina Zolotova Part of Relentless Persecution of Independent Belarusian Media
"This tenuous accusation of 'official inaction' is very clearly an attempt to punish an independent journalist by any available means." More
Monitoring of Journalists, Lawyers, and Immigration Advocates a Shocking Intrusion by U.S. Customs and Border Protection
"The mere speculation that the U.S. government was collaborating with the Mexican government to detain journalists and lawyers was troubling enough. The conclusive reporting that this database actually exists,… More