Threats to Freedom of Expression in 2022 and Beyond

Dr. Sahar Khamis discusses with her guests, Ms. Summer Lopez and Ms. Christine Mehta, the numerous challenges to freedom of expression and freedom of the press in 2022, how and why they worsened in some countries compared to others, and what they are expected to look like in 2023 and beyond. Christine Mehta is the senior ideas editor at the newly launched Harvard Public Health magazine. For nearly a decade, she carried out investigations for flagship human rights organizations including Amnesty International, Physicians for Human Rights, and PEN America documenting violations of human rights and threats to democracy. Her bylines include the New York Times, Al Jazeera, and Foreign Affairs. She is the lead author of PEN America's latest report on political extremism in the United States: "Hate in the Headlines: Journalism and the Challenge of Extremism." Summer Lopez joined PEN America in 2017 and now serves as the chief program officer for Free Expression. In that capacity she oversees PEN America's robust portfolio of programming, research, and advocacy to defend freedom of expression and safeguard the freedom to write in the U.S. and globally. She previously worked as a democracy specialist for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for eight years, including serving in Washington, D.C., and as the deputy director of the Office of Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance at the USAID Mission in Zimbabwe.