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

A symposium on the legacy of the “War on Terror” for the freedoms of speech and the press

Lee C. Bollinger Forum at Columbia University

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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 “Forever War” 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, which is co-sponsored by the Knight Institute and the Simon and June Li Center for Global Journalism at Columbia Journalism School, will take place at the Lee C. Bollinger Forum at Columbia University and will be livestreamed.

Reception to follow on September 9.

Lunch will be provided on September 10.

Registration is required.

RSVP for in-person or virtual attendance.

 

Speakers

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