The Forever War and the First Amendment
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The Forever War and the First Amendment

A symposium on how the “War on Terror” has shaped the freedoms of speech and the press

Lee C. Bollinger Forum at Columbia University and Online

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This September we will mark 25 years since 9/11. Many of us will be reflecting on the losses and the meaning of that day, and on how the legacies of that day still shape lives in New York, across the country, and around the world a quarter century later. 

On September 9th and 10th, the Knight Institute and Columbia’s Simon and June Li Center for Global Journalism will convene journalists, scholars, lawyers, and activists to explore one of those legacies in particular: The ongoing impact of the War on Terror on democratic rights, including the freedoms of speech and the press.

First Amendment freedoms came under stress from the moment President George W. Bush declared a “War on Terror” and his press secretary warned Americans to “watch what they say.” Pervasive secrecy and censorship hid war crimes, torture, and other grave human rights abuses. Surveillance programs proliferated, from the NYPD’s targeting of New York Muslim communities to digital surveillance operations of unprecedented scope and reach. Anti-terrorism legislation criminalized forms of peaceful speech and association. The press struggled to fulfill its role, and when journalists did report on controversial and covert programs, they did so in the shadow of the Espionage Act, which the government deployed against journalists’ sources and threatened to deploy against journalists themselves. 

But those same First Amendment freedoms nurtured new forms of resistance, solidarity, and even accountability as well. Civil society groups and community organizations mobilized to defend civil liberties and protect targeted minorities. A new generation of journalists responded to the failures of legacy media by building new media tools and institutions in response to the failures, limitations, and blind spots of legacy media.

What does all of this mean for us today? To what extent are we still living the Forever War, and in what ways are we now living in its shadow? How have the suppressions and distortions of the Forever War worked their way into our systems and psyches? Is our system of free expression stronger or weaker now? This symposium will explore these and other questions and assess the lasting significance of the Forever War for First Amendment freedoms and for our democratic institutions and culture. 

The symposium is co-sponsored by the Knight Institute and the Simon and June Li Center for Global Journalism at Columbia Journalism School in partnership with Harper’s Magazine and The Columbia Daily Spectator. 

Reception to follow on September 9.

Lunch will be provided on September 10.

Registration is required.

RSVP for in-person or virtual attendance.

 

Schedule

  • The Lee C. Bollinger Forum and Online

    601 W 125th St, New York, NY 10027

    Introductory Remarks

    • Jameel Jaffer, Knight Institute
    • Azmat Khan, Li Center for Global Journalism at Columbia Journalism School

    The Forever War’s Long Shadow 

    How did the U.S. government’s response to 9/11 become embedded in our lives, our institutions, and our national mythology and character? In what ways can the defining features of our current political moment—the rise of authoritarianism, the erosion of democratic freedoms, the weakening of civic institutions, the coarsening of political discourse, the inauguration of new wars based on flimsy and constantly shifting pretexts, and the normalization of official impunity—be traced to decisions made, frameworks established, or habits adopted in the months and years following the attacks? 

    Panelists

    • Rozina Ali, The New York Times Magazine
    • Assia Boundaoui, Inverse Surveillance Project
    • Brett Max Kaufman, American Civil Liberties Union
    • Aziz Rana, Boston College Law School

    Moderator

    • Lydia Polgreen, The New York Times

    Break

    Reporting the Forever War

    How did reporting shape or distort the way that we understood the meaning and consequences of U.S. wars and counterterrorism policies? How did a shifting legal landscape—one that diminished access to battlefield and detention sites, expanded surveillance authorities, and enabled the increasingly aggressive exploitation of the Espionage Act by successive administrations—affect journalists’ ability to report on war and its implications? In what ways did the War on Terror give rise to the dangerous environment in which reporters do their work today?

    Panelists

    • David McCraw, The New York Times
    • Mohammed R. Mhawish, Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY
    • Dana Priest, The Washington Post

    Moderator

    • Jelani Cobb, Columbia Journalism School

    A Special Performance by Vijay Iyer

    Reception

  • The Lee C. Bollinger Forum and Online

    601 W 125th St, New York, NY 10027

    Welcome

    The First Amendment Under Pressure

    Contemporary First Amendment doctrine is meant to serve as a bulwark against censorship, surveillance, and secrecy, even in times of war and national security crisis. How did the war on terror test the freedoms of speech and the press, and how effective were the First Amendment’s protections? How well is the First Amendment serving us now?

    Panelists

    • David Cole, Georgetown University Law Center
    • Ramya Krishnan, Knight Institute
    • David Pozen, Columbia Law School
    • Astha Sharma Pokharel, Center for Constitutional Rights

    Moderator

    • Alex Abdo, Knight Institute

    Break

    An Interview with Alberto Mora

    Columbia Daily Spectator reporter, Emily Pickering, interviews former U.S. Navy General Counsel Alberto Mora.

    An Interview with Mohamedou Ould Slahi

    Columbia Daily Spectator reporter, Spencer Davis, interviews Mohamedou Ould Slahi, an author and former Guantánamo prisoner.  

    Lunch

    Lunch will be provided.

    New Media, New Media Institutions

    As traditional media struggled—and often failed—to inform the public and challenge official narratives during the Forever War, new media outlets, transparency projects, and open-source investigators repeatedly stepped forward to play this critical role. Many pioneered methods and  models that traditional media would later adopt as its own. How have these projects fared over the past quarter century, and what is their legacy today?

    Panelists

    • Sharif Abdel Kouddous, Drop Site News
    • Shourideh C. Molavi, Columbia University
    • Prem Thakker, Zeteo
    • Emily Tripp, Airwars

    Moderator

    • Azmat Khan, Simon and June Li Center for Global Journalism at Columbia Journalism School

    Break

    An Interview with Mohsen Mahdawi

    Columbia Daily Spectator reporter, Daksha Pillai, interviews Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian human rights advocate and Columbia University graduate student.

    The Forever War and Democratic Culture

    How has the war on terror shaped public discourse and civic institutions in the United States? In what ways has it suppressed political participation and action, and in what ways has it inspired political engagement, resistance, and creativity? What endures from this period—in memory, in practice, in institutions—that might encourage us now and sustain us in the years to come?

    Panelists

    • M. Gessen, The New York Times
    • Nicole Hemmer, Vanderbilt University
    • Phil Klay, Fairfield University
    • Hari Kunzru, Harper’s Magazine

    Moderator

    • Steve Coll, The Economist

    Closing Remarks

Speakers

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