Writer/Scholar/Target: Online Harassment and the Threat to Free Expression

Saturday, May 13, 2:00PM Writer/Scholar/Target: Online Harassment and the Threat to Free Expression Reza Aslan and Franklin Leonard Moderated by Jean Guerrero Co-presented by ALOUD and PEN America Part of the PEN America World Voices Festival Around the world, writers and journalists have been increasingly targeted for their work by waves of online harassment. From the missives of QAnon, to the rise of hate speech on Twitter, and the use of doxxing to weaponize an adversary’s personal information, our political context is building a perfect storm of harassment with ever-shifting targets. Join best-selling author Reza Aslan (An American Martyr in Persia: The Epic Life and Tragic Death of Howard Baskerville, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth) and Black List founder Franklin Leonard for a conversation on the polarized climate in the United States, amidst the movement for human rights in Iran, and around the world. Together, they will discuss how antagonism in online spaces within this fractious moment launches outwards into offline reality, and the insidious impact of harassment on writers, scholars, and creators. Moderated by author and journalist Jean Guerrero.