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.
New List a Threat to Campus Free Speech, Says PEN America
NEW YORK—The launch of a new website meant to name and accuse college professors of advancing left-wing agenda and discriminating against conservative students is a worrying threat to academic… More
Senate Must Take Hard View at Sessions Appointment, Effect on Free Speech
On the occasion of the nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions for Attorney General, PEN America urged the Senate to ask probing questions on Senator Sessions’s view towards free speech,… More
Trump’s Latest Denial of Press Access ‘A Warning Sign,’ says PEN America
NEW YORK—United States President-elect Donald Trump's refusal of a longstanding protocol to allow journalists to travel with him for meetings with President Obama today is a warning sign for… More
One Year On, Hong Kong Publishing Industry in Jeopardy After Bookseller Abduction
HONG KONG—The abduction of five Hong Kong booksellers by Chinese authorities in late 2015 has sounded alarm bells within Hong Kong's nearly $2 billion publishing industry and spurred fear… More
Blogger and Activist Liu Yanli Charged with Defamation in China
PEN America is concerned over the detention and sentencing of Chinese blogger, Liu Yanli. More
Turkey: Sweeping Crackdown Further Tightens Free Expression
The shuttering of media outlets and arrests of journalists over the past several days signal a dramatic worsening of the already-restricted environment for free expression, PEN America said today. More
Free Speech Groups, Authors, Journalists Address Student Radio’s Effort to Censor Author
NEW YORK—The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) has responded to a Columbia University independent student-run radio station’s censorship of an invited author because her reading did not match the… More
Harassment of Prominent Azerbaijani Investigative Journalist Khadija Ismayilova Continues
NEW YORK—Prominent Azerbaijani investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova continues to face surveillance, official harassment, and a travel ban as retribution for her reports on government corruption and her advocacy on… More
More than 40,000 Americans Call on Justice Department to Investigate Retaliation Against Those Who Document Alleged Police Misconduct
PEN America, the ACLU, and People Demanding Action Petition Attorney General Lynch for Police Training on First Amendment Protections for Citizen Journalists More
Criminal Charges ‘A Clear Attempt to Intimidate’ Journalists in North Dakota
The misdemeanor charges against journalist Amy Goodman for reporting on protests in North Dakota are a clear attack on freedom of the press, PEN America said in a statement… More