Research & Resources
PEN America’s innovative research and analysis explores the impact of government policy, public sentiment, and media consumption trends on free expression in countries around the globe. The resulting reports inform policy recommendations and public toolkits to help our members and supporters advocate for sustainable change.
Literature Locked Up: How Prison Book Restriction Policies Constitute the Nation’s Largest Book Ban
Literature Locked Up: How Prison Book Restriction Policies Constitute the Nation’s Largest Book Ban details book banning in American prisons. More
Chasm in the Classroom: Campus Free Speech in a Divided America
Chasm in the Classroom: Campus Free Speech in a Divided America details an array of infringements on speech, both official and informal. More
Truth on the Ballot: Fraudulent News, the Midterm Elections, and Prospects for 2020
With fraudulent news and online disinformation distorting public discourse, eroding faith in journalism, and skewing voting decisions, Truth on the Ballot offers a stark warning about the normalization of… More
Art Under Pressure: Decree 349 Restricts Creative Freedom in Cuba
Available in English and Spanish, Art Under Pressure examines the government’s efforts to institutionalize and expand limits on creative expression in Cuba. More
Forbidden Feeds: Government Controls on Social Media in China
Forbidden Feeds: Government Controls on Social Media in China lays bare the destructive impact of the Chinese government’s vision of “cyber sovereignty” on netizens who dare to dissent. More
Wrong Answer: How Good Faith Attempts to Address Free Speech and Anti-Semitism on Campus Could Backfire
In "Wrong Answer: How Good Faith Attempts to Address Free Speech and Anti-Semitism on Campus Could Backfire," PEN America speaks out in response to a spate of legislation and… More
Faking News: Fraudulent News and the Fight for Truth
Warning that the spread of "fake news" is reaching a crisis point, Faking News: Fraudulent News and the Fight for Truth evaluates the array of strategies that Facebook,… More
Trump the Truth: Free Expression in the President’s First 100 Days
PEN America’s new report Trump the Truth: Free Expression in the President’s First 100 Days clocks more than 70 separate instances where President Trump or senior Administration officials have… More
Defending Free Expression: A Toolkit For Writers and Readers
Defending Free Expression: A Toolkit for Writers and Readers starts by identifying the warning signs of a developing autocracy, then suggests specific actions writers and readers can take to… More
Writing on the Wall: Disappeared Booksellers and Free Expression in Hong Kong
Writing on the Wall provides the most comprehensive account to date of the disappearance of five Hong Kong booksellers in late 2015, and also examines the wide-reaching impact for Hong… More