PEN Points: What publishing is doing to combat censorship

What Is Publishing Doing to Combat Censorship?

While censorship certainly isn’t a new phenomenon, it is now happening at a dizzying pace, as PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel explains: “In previous times, we’d deal with a few of these situations a year. Now we’re dealing with new challenges and bans every week, and at a much larger scale.” Censorship has other faces, too, and it goes beyond certain school districts or library boards. As Nossel points out, “it’s legislation being introduced in state houses to impose sweeping bans on what kinds of books are available to students.” It’s also increasingly partisan, becoming embroiled “in a much larger political battle over the narratives that are accessible in this country, which narratives communities want to elevate and to suppress.”

One of the most significant and impactful measures taken by publishing recently belongs to Markus Dohle, chief executive of Penguin Random House, in collaboration with PEN America. In February, PEN America announced that Dohle would donate at least $500,000 in order to launch the Dohle Book Defense Fund. Their stated goals are to fund “initiatives to educate the public, partner with local community groups to advocate against censorship, track and expose the egregious assaults on books and ideas playing out in classrooms, state legislatures and other arenas.”

U.S. Free Expression Stories

An Indiana doctor speaks out on abortion, and pays a price
Dr. Bernard catapulted into the national spotlight for providing an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim last month. She is also one of a small number of doctors in her state with specific training in complex reproductive care, including second-trimester abortions. But some of her riskiest work takes place outside her hospital, advocating publicly for abortion access.
THE NEW YORK TIMES

Opinion: Education gag orders hit Iowa schools
Iowa conservatives rail against the teaching of controversial topics in public schools because they don’t want teachers “indoctrinating” students. But, as Jeremy Young, PEN America’s senior manager of free expression and education points out, a recent flare-up in the Baxter Community School District makes clear who’s really out to indoctrinate our young people: radical activist groups attacking students’ freedom to learn.
THE GAZETTE

Arizona prisons violate First Amendment by banning issues of The Nation magazine, ACLU claims
The ACLU said the Arizona Department of Corrections is violating the First Amendment by stopping issues of The Nation from reaching incarcerated subscribers, according to a demand letter sent to prison officials Monday morning.
AZ CENTRAL

The Latest from PEN America

Denver chapter leaders Manuel Aragon and Vinlyanka Prasad

In Its Centenary Year, PEN America Launches Tenth U.S. Regional Chapter in Denver on August 5

This milestone, as PEN celebrates its 100th year, signifies its growing base of support nationwide at a time of unprecedented pressure on the freedoms to write, read and speak. The Denver chapter will be led by attorney Vinlyanka Prasad, founder of The Word, a Storytelling Sanctuary, that works to defend against cultural erasure in the literary arts, and Manuel Aragon, a writer, filmmaker and director. The new chapter expands the PEN Across America network started in 2019 that now includes chapters in Austin, Birmingham, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Piedmont Region, Tulsa, Miami/South Florida, Utah, and Arizona. Read the full statement.

PEN Denver Presents: The [margins.] Literary Conference
Friday 8/5 – Sunday 8/7 | 4pm – 6pm MT
McNichols Civic Center Building
144 W Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80202

PEN America Denver is proud to sponsor the [margins.] Literary Conference. Brought to you by The Word, [margins.] was created in 2020, by and for people on the margins, promoting the inclusive representation of experiences in literature for communities who have historically been excluded. The two PEN America Denver sponsored panels will produce meaningful conversations on the overarching topic of press freedom. Learn more and register.

Global Free Expression Stories

World condemns Myanmar junta for execution of activists
Myanmar's ruling military announced it had executed four democracy activists accused of aiding "terror acts", sparking widespread condemnation of the country's first executions in decades. Among those executed were democracy campaigner Kyaw Min Yu, better known as Jimmy, and former lawmaker and hip-hop artist Phyo Zeya Thaw, an ally of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The two others executed were Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zaw. See PEN America’s statement.
REUTERS

Russia is quietly ramping up its internet censorship machine
Since 2019, Vladimir Putin has supercharged his plan to separate Russia from the global internet. In July, so far, legislators have proposed the creation of a Russian app store that would be installed on new phones and introduced a law that could limit people’s data being moved out of the country.
WIRED

“She’s a human being who was killed in cold blood”: Shireen Abu Akleh’s family demands U.S. action
Media outlets, human rights organizations and the Palestinian government investigated the shooting of Al-Jazeera correspodnent Abu Akleh and found the Israel Defense Forces was responsible for the fatal shot. While the State Department concluded that her death was the result of “tragic circumstances,” her family argues that the White House has not taken their concerns seriously, writing in a statement, “The administration’s July 4th statement was an affront to justice, and enabled Israel to avoid accountability for Shireen’s murder.” See PEN America’s statement.
POLITICO

Spotlight: Alaa Abd El Fattah

Alaa Abd El Fattah is an Egyptian activist, software developer, and blogger. His activism and use of technology made him a key voice during the Arab Spring, during which he began to develop Arabic-language versions of important software and platforms.

After serving a five-year sentence (reduced after an appeal) for allegedly organizing a political protest without a permit, Abd El Fattah was re-arrested and detained by authorities on September 29, 2019, amid the widespread crackdown on protests that erupted in late September. On December 20, 2021, he was sentenced to another five years in prison on spurious “broadcasting false news” charges related to a social media post. He remains imprisoned and is currently on a nearly 120-day hunger strike.

Below is an excerpt from his book, You Have Not Yet Been Defeated.

It’s on us to ask: what value is a constitution drafted without genuine popular participation? Even an exemplary text is nothing more than ink on paper without a balance of power to apply and protect it. The Freedom Charter was written by the people. Together with the constitution that emanated from it, they gave rise to a real social contract and became a part of the people’s identity passed down through the generations. And the people became the protectors of their constitutional and revolutionary legitimacy.

Learn more about Alaa Abd El Fattah and PEN America’s advocacy on his behalf.

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