School speech crackdowns hurt teachers—and democracy

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Photo credit: Jennifer Altman

Exiled Writers Reflect on Freedom of Speech in America in Light of Rushdie Attack ([link removed])

For dissident writers fleeing persecution overseas, the United States has long been a safe haven, a place where freedom of expression is tolerated and, even, valued. That suddenly changed earlier this month, with the brutal attack on author Salman Rushdie at a speaking event in western New York.

While literary writers in the U.S. increasingly face online threats, they rarely metastasize into actual physical attacks, said Karin Deutsch Karlekar ([link removed]) , who directs the Writers at Risk program at PEN America. Authors routinely make public appearances with little or no security. “Many of us who joined this field grew up being sort of galvanized by [Rushdie’s] case and what had happened to him," Karlekar said. "And in the decades, since he has really been this sort of stalwart defender of free expression for other writers at risk."

Listen to this week’s episode of The xxxxxx ([link removed]) , in which Summer Lopez ([link removed]) , chief program officer of free expression at PEN America, discusses the state of free expression in America and around the world—from the assault on Salman Rushdie, to ongoing efforts to pressure libraries to remove books across the country, to foreign oppression of writers and thinkers.
U.S. Free Expression Stories

Opinion: School speech crackdowns hurt teachers—and democracy
As children return to school, educators are grappling with confusing new policies and proposals to restrict speech in educational settings. PEN America’s new report ([link removed]) demonstrates how educational gag orders—legislation that limits discussion or teaching in schools and colleges—have become far more common across the country. See PEN America’s statement ([link removed]) on an Oklahoma State Board of Education decision to punish two school districts for alleged violations of a bill signed last year that unconstitutionally restricts the teaching of race and gender. Read PEN America senior manager of free expression and education Jeremy Young ([link removed]) ’s latest op-ed on educational gag orders in Tennessee
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THE WASHINGTON POST ([link removed])

Google finds “inoculating” people against misinformation helps blunt its power
Researchers have found that psychologically “inoculating” internet users against lies and conspiracy theories—by preemptively showing them videos about the tactics behind misinformation—made people more skeptical of falsehoods afterward.
THE NEW YORK TIMES ([link removed])

Ex-Twitter exec blows the whistle, alleging reckless and negligent cybersecurity policies
Twitter has major security problems that pose a threat to its own users’ personal information, to company shareholders, to national security, and to democracy, according to an explosive whistleblower disclosure. It also alleges that some of the company’s senior-most executives have been trying to cover up Twitter’s serious vulnerabilities, and that one or more current employees may be working for a foreign intelligence service.
CNN ([link removed])
The Latest from PEN America
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Words on Fire: Writing, Freedom, and the Future ([link removed])
Monday Sept. 12 | 4 pm
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024

Join PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel and President Ayad Akhtar for an afternoon of public conversation with world-renowned authors and staunch advocates for the freedom to write including Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Margaret Atwood, Jennifer Finney Boylan, Dave Eggers, and Salman Rushdie*. The speakers will reflect on milestone moments in PEN America's history and current-day silencing, charting the ways in which writing and free speech are being challenged through book bans, educational gag orders, online harassment, self-censorship, and the detention of journalists and artists worldwide. Reserve your seat. ([link removed])

∗ PEN America is working with those closest to Salman Rushdie to determine how the Symposium can best honor his work and voice as he recovers from severe injuries in an attack chillingly linked to the themes of this event and PEN America’s work to defend and celebrate free expression.
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Removal of 327 Books with LGBTQ+ Themes by TN School District Is “Heartbreaking” Censorship ([link removed])

PEN America is raising the alarm about Tennessee’s Collierville school district removing 327 books from library shelves that feature LGBTQ+ characters and themes, in spite of there being no policy or restriction requiring their removal. Read the full statement. ([link removed])

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PEN America Calls for Immediate Release of Burmese Artist and Activist Htein Lin Detained in Yangon ([link removed])

PEN America has condemned Myanmar authorities for detaining Htein Lin, the Burmese artist and former political prisoner, and Vicky Bowman, the former British ambassador to Myanmar, on arbitrary charges and called for their immediate release in Yangon. Read the full statement. ([link removed])

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PEN America Calls for the Immediate Release of Vietnamese Human Rights Defender Pham Doan Trang, Condemns Appeal Outcome ([link removed])

Ahead of her appeal on August 25, PEN America called on Vietnamese authorities to immediately set aside journalist and human rights defender Pham Doan Trang’s nine-year sentence. Despite the court’s decision to uphold her sentence, PEN America continues to call for Trang’s release ([link removed]) . Read the full statement. ([link removed])

Global Free Expression Stories

Indian billionaire seeks to control NDTV
Indian billionaire Gautam Adani's conglomerate on Tuesday said it seeks to control a majority stake in the popular New Delhi Television, a move the TV news group said was executed without its consent.
REUTERS ([link removed])

Chinese censors change ending of latest "Minions" movie
Censors have altered the ending of the recent animated film Minions: The Rise of Gru for its domestic release in China, social media users across the country noticed over the weekend. The editing is yet another example of Chinese authorities editing a popular Hollywood film to make it more politically correct, leading some viewers to lament the changes. See PEN America’s report, Made in Hollywood, Censored by Beijing ([link removed]) .
REUTERS ([link removed])

Mexico: Journalist in Guerrero becomes 15th media worker killed in 2022
A local journalist who ran an online news program has been shot to death in southern Mexico, making him the 15th media worker killed so far this year nationwide.
THE GUARDIAN ([link removed])


** Spotlight: Tsitsi Dangarembga
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Tsitsi Dangarembga ([link removed]) is a Zimbabwean author, playwright, and filmmaker who was briefly arrested in July 2020 ([link removed]) at a protest, carrying signs urging social reform. Dangarembga was charged with “public incitement to violence"—in addition to breach of peace and bigotry—which has been used against journalists and protesters to shut down free expression. This month, her trial has reached its apex, with defense witness testimony and a verdict expected today, August 26. However, the court’s judgment was delayed and a verdict has been deferred to next month.

Since July 2020, the Zimbabwean authorities have placed Dangarembga under restrictive bail conditions. As her trial has dragged on, she has been required to appear in court at least 28 times ([link removed]) .

Below is a quote from an interview Dangarembga gave after her arrest in July 2020 ([link removed]) :

We were treated well, but yes I am afraid. There were increased abductions leading up to the demonstration, but these were mainly opposition politicians and activists and I’m neither: I’m a writer and a film-maker but I’m also a responsible citizen of Zimbabwe, and I thought, even if there was a crackdown, the citizen still has space in law.

Learn more about her case. ([link removed])
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