I agree with much of this. We should note, however, that the writers surveyed were all affiliated with the group doing the surveying, PEN, which is a writers'

I agree with much of this. We should note, however, that the writers surveyed were all affiliated with the group doing the surveying, PEN, which is a writers' group devoted to the defense of free expression. These respondents can probably be expected to over-report the chilling effect, somewhat. Again, though: none of this is to say that we should not be very concerned about state surveillance. We should be.