New York City, June 20 – Today NWU hosted a panel on the growing crises in Turkey and the Middle East. The panelsists included Sedat Bozkurt, a leading journalist at Fox Turkey, and Mucahit Bilici, a professor at John Jay College in NY and author of “Turkish Islam and the Kurdish Question.” The panel was […]
The Fort Point Gang May Day Memorial
We joined the Fort Point Gang’s annual May Day memorial celebration on May 4 to honor labor leaders, many of whom were members of the American Communist Party. We commemorated those brave souls who were harassed, arrested, and jailed for their thinking during the post-war, McCarthy era, which reminds us to be vigilant so that […]
“The First Casualty of War is the Truth!”
On May 4, UNESCO and the UN Department of Public Information (DPI) commemorated World Press Freedom Day at UN Headquarters in New York. The theme was “Critical Minds for Critical Times: Media’s Role in Advancing Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies.” There were two high-level panels and the audience included the diplomatic community, NGOs and journalism […]
NWU Hosts PEN America
On May 10, NWU and Creatives in Action (CIA) co-hosted Suzanne Nossel, Executive Director of PEN America, who spoke about “Defending Our Democracy in the Trump Era.” This was the first time NWU has partnered with CIA and the third time we have participated with PEN America in the last six month. Previously we spoke out in […]
UN Concerned About Trump’s Intimidation of Journalists
Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has issued his annual report to the UN Human Rights Council. In it he lays out a number of concerns about Donald Trump, including his intimidation of journalists and judges.: “…In the United States of America, I am concerned by the new Administration’s handling […]
Statement in Support of Freedom of the Press
NWU is proud to stand with more than 90 allied organizations in issuing this Statement in Support of Freedom of the Press. “In the First Amendment the Founding Fathers gave the free press the protection it must have to fulfill its essential role in our democracy. The press was to serve the governed, not the […]
NWU at Women’s March on Washington
About 50 members of the National Writers Union and our friends and family rose before dawn on January 21. We put on our pussy hats—or reasonable facsimile thereof—and climb aboard a fleet of UAW buses that formed a caravan from New York City down to the Women’s March on Washington. We demonstrated in support of […]
Preparing for Trump’s Attacks on the Press
NWU is working more closely with other writers’ groups to develop a strategy to combat the Trump Administration’s hostility towards a free press and the public’s right to know. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer’s opening press briefing, where he attacked the media and took no questions, and Kellyanne Conway’s theory of “Alternative Facts” are […]
NWU Defends Journalists Worldwide
We’ve recently reported on, and denounced, threats of vigilante violence and criminal prosecution against US journalists for doing their jobs. With the President-elect openly encouraging supporters to attack journalists at campaign rallies, we fear attacks on journalists who cover controversial topics in the US will escalate. While we speak out against attacks on US journalists, […]
We Stand With The Arizona Republic
When I was growing up in Arizona, it was rare to see my home state hit the national news. One of the first times I saw it happen was in the Summer of 1976, when Don Bolles, a reporter for the Arizona Republic, was killed by a bomb planted in his car. He was killed […]
NWU is the sole provider of IFJ Press Passes to freelance journalists in the U.S.