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New PEN America report warns against canceling books due to outrage

PEN America warns that social media blowback and societal outrage are imposing new moral litmus tests on books and authors, chilling literary expression and fueling a dangerous trend of self-censorship that is shrinking writers’ creative freedom and imagination.

CPJ report finds no accountability for journalists killed by the Israeli military over the past two decades

“The killing of Shireen Abu Akleh and the failure of the army’s investigative process to hold anyone responsible is not a one-off event.”

PEN America: “This escalating battle for control over free expression in education should worry us all”

“The wording of these gag orders is deliberately vague, casting a willful chill on a wide swath of speech as faculty and administrators struggle to understand where the lines are drawn.”

CPJ welcomes Biden executive order limiting use of commercial spyware

The global use of spyware has prompted what CPJ views as an existential crisis for journalism and the organization has been among those calling for moratoriums on its use. 

United States: Government hasn’t justified a TikTok ban

Before taking such a drastic step to restrict TikTok, the government must come forward with specific evidence showing, at the very least, a real problem and a narrowly tailored solution.

Appeals Court upholds restriction on Twitter’s First Amendment right to publish national security transparency report

The court’s decision in Twitter v. Garland is seen as a disappointing, dangerous opinion that may well empower even broader uses of government power to censor speech by unwilling participants in government investigations.

CPJ appalled by killing of journalist reporting on Florida shootings

“It is deeply disturbing that a journalist was killed while covering the gun violence that has become a sickening reality of living in the United States.”

Florida book bans: Why are there empty shelves in Florida schools?

While efforts to remove books have been intensifying for the past year, what’s happening now is that new laws passed last year in Florida are having a clear chilling effect on classroom teachers and librarians.

Journalist Evan Lambert arrested, charged while covering Ohio train derailment

“It is outrageous that local law enforcement in Ohio would arrest and charge a journalist for simply doing his job and reporting live from a press conference” – CPJ.

‘Murder the media’: What the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol meant for journalists in the United States

The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, a partner of the Committee to Protect Journalists, documented multiple assaults on journalists around the Capitol on January 6, 2021 and the destruction of tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment.

U.S. FBI-led investigation of Shireen Abu Akleh’s killing a welcome first step

Abu Akleh was shot and killed on 11 May 2022 while reporting on an Israeli military raid in the Palestinian West Bank city of Jenin.

EFF files amicus brief challenging Orange County, CA’s controversial DNA collection program

“Plaintiffs are right – Orange County’s program violates residents’ constitutional right to privacy and should be stopped” – EFF

It’s time for a federal anti-SLAPP law to protect online speakers

The United States’ fair and independent courts exist to resolve serious disputes. Unfortunately, some parties abuse the civil litigation process to silence others’ speech, rather than resolve legitimate claims.

Police arrest local official suspected of killing Las Vegas reporter Jeff German

“Las Vegas police have acted quickly in identifying and arresting a suspect in the fatal stabbing of Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German,” said CPJ.

Journalists face new fears after Roe v. Wade overturn

Reporters covering abortion in the United States are wary of online harassment and the threat of physical violence after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion.