Summer Lopez

Feb 2, 2024 | pen.org | Kristen Shahverdian |Summer Lopez |Jonathan Friedman

The IssueThe most recent war between Israel and Hamas began on Oct. 7, 2023, with Hamas’ murderous attack on civilians in Israel, including the taking of hostages and the targeting of an open-air music festival. Israel’s military response, in a context where Hamas is embedded in civilian infrastructure, has resulted in a devastating loss of civilian lives in Gaza, including writers, artists, and journalists. Treasured cultural centers, libraries, and educational institutions have been destroyed.

Jul 30, 2023 | pen.org | Summer Lopez |Nadine Johnson |Liz Woolery

Central to the 2023 Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, still ongoing at the time of this writing, are fears that television and movie studios might turn to generative AI tools for ideas and script writing, particularly for more formulaic genres, including children’s television and crime procedurals. This concern falls under the broad rubric of usurpation, or the idea that AI will take over tasks and roles previously carried out by humans.

May 8, 2023 | yahoo.com | Summer Lopez

âWalkout 2 Learn❠Student Protest Held in OrlandoStudents and others attend a âWalkout 2 Learn❠rally to protest Florida education policies outside Orlando City Hall on April 21, 2023 in Orlando, Florida. Demonstrations were held in four Florida cities and included classroom walkouts by students as a response to Republican-led legislation that organizers say âcensor❠education, including instruction regarding gender, sexuality and race.

Apr 19, 2023 | pen.org | Summer Lopez

A JOURNALIST’S GUIDE TO COMBATING DISINFORMATIONDisinformation poses a fundamental threat to free expression and democracy—one that is increasingly poised to disrupt the practice of journalism. In a nationwide survey of over 1,000 reporters and editors, more than 90 percent told PEN America that disinformation has impacted their work in recent years, with 76 percent saying that they deal with disinformation regularly—whether writing about it, debunking it, explaining it, or uncovering it.