More than two centuries into the American experiment, there is still vigorous disagreement about the reasons for protecting speech, and about whether we protect it enough, or too much. Technological change is transforming this debate because it is transforming the way we communicate. On May 1, 2017, the Knight First Amendment Institute and the Tow Center for Digital Journalism convened some of America's most important thinkers about free speech and the free press to address essential questions about democracy in the digital age. The event, held at the Italian Academy at Columbia University, was a day of vigorous exploration. You can watch videos of the event below.

Schedule

Welcoming Remarks   |   9:30 a.m.

Alberto Ibargüen, President and CEO of the Knight Foundation
 

Free Speech in the Networked World   |   9:45 a.m.

Moderator
Beth Simone Noveck, Professor and Director, the Governance Lab

Panelists
Zeynep Tufekci, Professor, University of North Carolina
Tim Wu, Professor, Columbia Law School

Are First Amendment Values Under Siege?   |   11:15 a.m.

Moderator
Vincent Blasi, Professor, Columbia Law School

Panelists
Jeffrey Abramson, Professor, University of Texas-Austin
Jamal Greene, Professor, Columbia Law School
Leslie Kendrick, Professor, University of Virginia School of Law
Suzanne Nossel, Executive Director, PEN American Center

Introduction of Aryeh Neier   |   1:30 p.m.

Jameel Jaffer, Founding Director of the Knight First Amendment Institute
 

Keynote Address   |   1:45 p.m.

Aryeh Neier, President Emeritus, Open Society Foundations

More or Less Free: Journalism and the Internet   |   3:00 p.m.

Moderator
Emily Bell, Founding Director, Tow Center for Digital Journalism

Panelists
Nicholas Lemann, Professor and Dean Emeritus, Columbia Journalism School
Michael Oreskes, Senior Vice President for News and Editorial Director, NPR
Lydia Polgreen, Editor-in-Chief, HuffPost