Our Mission
We defend the freedoms of speech and the press in the digital age through strategic litigation, research, policy advocacy, and public education.
We promote a system of free expression that is open and inclusive, that broadens and elevates public discourse, and that fosters creativity, accountability, and effective self-government.
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Issues
Free Speech & Social Media
Safeguarding the vitality and integrity of public discourse online
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Featured
Federal Court Says National Institutes of Health Censored Critics on Social Media in Violation of First Amendment
Knight Institute, PETA, and Animal Legal Defense Fund say decision is victory for free speech online
Featured
The Press and American Democracy
Identifying four distinct constitutional functions of "the press"
By Robert C. Post
Featured
Federal Court Says Warrant Required for Device Searches at the Border
Cites concerns about chilling effects of warrantless searches on free speech & press freedom
Research
Essay Series
Permission to Speak Freely? Managing Government Employee Speech in a Democracy
A project exploring the law and politics of public employee speech
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Documentary
Flashpoint: Protests, Policing, and the Press
A Knight Institute production
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Lawsuit
The Foundation for Global Political Exchange v. Department of the Treasury
A case challenging OFAC’s suppression of the exchange of political ideas
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Institute Update
War & Speech
A new season of “Views on First” about free speech and the war in Israel and Gaza
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