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].
At a time of unprecedented attacks against the free press, PEN America Members are taking action. Join us today.
US/China: VOA Needs Thorough, Independent Investigation into Journalists’ Suspension
NEW YORK - Voice of America (VOA) should ensure that its investigation into the circumstances surrounding the suspension of five VOA Mandarin Service journalists be comprehensive and fully address… More
FCC Guards’ Manhandling of Reporter Show Sprawling Official Disregard for Press Freedom
FCC guards' resort to physical obstruction of a journalist suggests the Trump administration’s hostility to the press is emboldening other officials to test the boundaries of media freedom and… More
FCC Efforts to Roll Back Net Neutrality Rules Will Have Enormous Impact on Art and Innovation
The Federal Communications Commission's decision today to begin dissolving protections for net neutrality will have an outsize impact on artists, writers, and other innovators in the United States. More
Wholesale Blocking of Internet Platforms in Ukraine is ‘Unprecedented’
By blocking popular Russian social networks, email service, and search engines, Ukrainian officials are undercutting the free expression rights of their people and borrowing from the playbook of authoritarians. More
Turkey/US: Violence on US Soil an Example of Turkey’s Intolerance of Dissent
NEW YORK—Reports of Turkish President Erdogan’s guards engaging in violence against protestors in Washington DC provide a troubling example of Erdogan’s intolerance of dissent and disrespect for free expression… More
Chip Rolley Assumes PEN World Voices Festival Leadership Amid Deepening Challenges to Free Expression
Chip Rolley, former Artistic Director of the Sydney Writers' Festival, has joined PEN America as the new Director of the PEN World Voices Festival and Senior Director of Literary… More
NJ Representative’s Attempt to Intimidate Critic and Stifle Dissent a “Blatant Abuse of Power”
NEW YORK—Efforts by Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ) to intimidate and punish a critic constitute an unconscionable ethical breach of lawmakers' duty to uphold core constitutional rights of expression, association, and… More
Trump Threats to Cancel Press Briefings Could Further Degrade Public Trust After Comey Dismissal
President Trump's threats via Twitter this morning to "cancel all future 'press briefings'" because "it is not possible for [his] surrogates to stand at podium with perfect accuracy" would… More
TURKEY: Reopening of Case Against Pinar Selek Is An Unconscionable Disservice to Judicial Process
NEW YORK—The reopening of the 19-year-old case against Turkish sociologist and feminist Pinar Selek after a remarkable four acquittals is an unconscionable disservice to the judicial process, PEN America… More
TURKEY: Raid of Belge Publishing House a Poorly-Veiled Attack on Dissident Publisher
NEW YORK—The police raid of Belge Publishing House in Istanbul on May 7, allegedly based on a procedural complaint, was a poorly-veiled continuation of the Turkish government’s politically-motivated attacks… More