
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
Essays and Scholarship
A Safe Harbor for Platform Research
Knight Institute policy paper proposes legal protection for certain research and newsgathering projects focused on platforms
By Alex Abdo , Ramya Krishnan , Stephanie Krent , Evan Welber Falcón & Andrew Keane WoodsLATEST NEWS & ANALYSIS
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Deep Dive
Reclaim the First Amendment — Harvard Law Review Address
Did the First Amendment serve us well during the “war on terror,” and will it serve us well during the age of social media, surveillance, and ascendant authoritarianism?
By Jameel Jaffer
LITIGATION & ADVOCACY
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Lawsuit
National Association of Immigration Judges v. Neal
A lawsuit challenging a government policy silencing immigration judges
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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"
RESEARCH
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Essays and Scholarship
How the Biden Administration and Congress Can Fix Prepublication Review: A Roadmap for Reform
Prepublication review is a sweeping and broken system in need of repair
By Jameel Jaffer , Alex Abdo , Meenakshi Krishnan & Ramya Krishnan -
Essays and Scholarship
The Democratic Regulation of Artificial Intelligence
A case for focusing on forward-looking policy considerations rather than a rights framework in regulating “AI systems”
By Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar & Aziz Z. Huq -
Essays and Scholarship
A Safe Harbor for Platform Research
Knight Institute policy paper proposes legal protection for certain research and newsgathering projects focused on platforms
By Alex Abdo , Ramya Krishnan , Stephanie Krent , Evan Welber Falcón & Andrew Keane Woods
Events
Online
Lies and Counterspeech
To what extent can speech—disclosures, warning labels, fact checks, apologies, and/or counterspeech generally—defang the lie?
To what extent can speech—disclosures, warning labels, fact checks, apologies, and/or counterspeech generally—defang the lie?
Government Lies
Is it possible to prevent the government’s lies or limit their harms?