Press freedom, already under threat from technological and economic disruptions and eroding public trust, has become even more vulnerable in President Trump’s second term. Lawsuits aimed at silencing critical journalism and punitive measures against press outlets perceived as anti-Trump are accompanied by a daily drumbeat of vitriol against the media from top public officials.
On November 5, 2025, a panel of legal experts and journalists will consider how to protect the crucial role of the press and support journalists in these dangerous times. The conversation will build upon a new book published by Cambridge University Press, The Future of Press Freedom, edited by Professors RonNell Andersen Jones and Sonja R. West during their tenure as Senior Visiting Research Scholars at the Knight Institute.
Co-sponsored by the Knight First Amendment Institute, the Craig Newmark Center for Journalism Ethics and Security, and the Simon and June Li Center for Global Journalism at Columbia University.
Lunch will be served.
Registration is required to attend. You must register before 5 pm ET on Monday, November 3, in order to access Columbia University campus.
Schedule
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Joseph D. Jamail Lecture Hall
2950 Broadway New York, NY 10027
Opening Remarks
- Margaret Sullivan, Craig Newmark Center for Journalism Ethics and Security at Columbia Journalism School
Speakers
- RonNell Andersen Jones, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
- Nora Benavidez, Free Press
- Azmat Khan, Simon and June Li Center for Global Journalism at Columbia Journalism School
- Joel Simon, Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY
Moderator
- Sonja R. West, University of Georgia School of Law
Speakers
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RonNell Andersen Jones
Knight Institute Senior Visiting Research Scholar 2023-2024; University of Utah
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Nora Benavidez
Free Press
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Azmat Khan
Simon and June Li Center for Global Journalism at Columbia Journalism School
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Joel Simon
Journalism Protection Initiative; Knight Institute Senior Visiting Research Fellow 2022-2023
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Margaret Sullivan
The Guardian, Craig Newmark Center for Journalism Ethics and Security at Columbia Journalism School
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Sonja R. West
Knight Institute Senior Visiting Research Scholar 2023-2024; University of Georgia