Transparency & Democracy
Ensuring access to information necessary for self-government
The First Amendment embraces the public’s right to access the information needed to hold the powerful accountable and participate fully in the process of self-government.
Our aim in defending and promoting transparency is not simply to compel the disclosure of information that the public is entitled to know, but to broaden public access to information through changes in government policy and the law.
Featured
Op-ed
What Is America’s Spy Court Hiding From the Public?
Unnecessary secrecy about government surveillance is bad for the intelligence agencies, the spy court, and our democracy
LATEST NEWS & ANALYSIS
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Press Statement
In Knight Institute Lawsuit, Court Orders CDC to Release Trump Administration Policies Restricting Employees’ Ability to Speak to Press and Public
Withheld policies raised public-health and free-speech concerns in the early months of the coronavirus pandemic
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Deep Dive : Press Freedom
The Law of the Reporter’s Privilege is a Mess. A Federal Shield Law Could Help Fix It.
Journalists need to know when they can expect to receive protection under federal law and when they can’t
By Mayze Teitler & Samuel Aber -
Press Statement
Researchers, Knight Institute Call on Facebook to Reinstate Researchers' Accounts in Light of FTC Statement
NEW YORK — Two days after Facebook abruptly shut down the accounts of New York University researchers Laura Edelson and Damon McCoy, blocking their research into political ads and the spread of misinformation on the platform, the Federal Trade Commission...
LITIGATION & ADVOCACY
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Lawsuit
ACLU v. CIA & Knight Institute v. DOD
Three FOIA lawsuits seeking records related to the government censorship system of "prepublication review"
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Lawsuit
In re Opinions & Orders of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court
A motion asserting a right of access to opinions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court
RESEARCH
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Institute Update : Lies and the Law
Call for Papers: Lies, Free Speech, and the Law
The Knight Institute invites submissions for its spring symposium, “Lies, Free Speech, and the Law” to be held at Columbia Law School, on April 14-15, 2022. The symposium will explore how the law regulates, or should regulate, false and misleading...
By Genevieve Lakier & Katy Glenn Bass -
Essays and Scholarship
What We Owe Whistleblowers
Jameel Jaffer argues that their disclosures since 9/11 have been vital, and that we should protect them better than we do
By Jameel Jaffer -
Essays and Scholarship
Transparency’s AI Problem
Artificial intelligence’s opaque processes and outcomes make it an incomplete tool for governing
By Hannah Bloch-Wehba
Events
Online
Book Talk: How Rights Went Wrong
A conversation with Jamal Greene about why our obsession with rights is tearing America apart
The Mauritanian
Screening of The Mauritanian and panel discussion with Mohamedou Ould Slahi, Tahar Rahim, Nancy Hollander, and Larry Siems