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
Press Statement
Trump Administration Concedes That U.S. Researchers May Engage With Sanctioned U.N. Official
Response is a victory for the right of Americans to speak with and hear from international experts about issues of global importance, Knight Institute says
LATEST NEWS & ANALYSIS
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Press Statement
Knight Institute Welcomes Ruling Barring Trump Administration From Punishing Disfavored News Organizations
Ruling bars Trump from expelling journalists from White House on the basis of their coverage of him
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Press Statement
Knight Institute Opposes Further Delay in Court Hearing on Release of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s Report
Says there is no justification for delaying oral argument
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Deep Dive
Stargazing: Art and censorship after 9/11
By Hari KunzruIn connection with our symposium, “The Forever War and The First Amendment,” the Knight Institute and Harper’s Magazine co-commissioned this essay by the writer Hari Kunzru about art created in the quarter century since 9/11. It appears in the October 2026 issue.
LITIGATION & ADVOCACY
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Amicus Brief
CNN v. Trump
A lawsuit challenging President Trump’s decision to ban three news organizations from the White House.
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Amicus Brief
New York Times v. Department of Defense
Cases challenging restrictions on journalists covering the Pentagon
RESEARCH
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Deep Dive
Reflections on Lawyering: Accountability for the Law Firms That Capitulated
The deals law firms made with the Trump administration are a matter of enormous public interest: They go to the heart of public confidence in the integrity of the legal profession. The public has a right to know what these firms agreed to and what justifications they can offer for their decisions.
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Events
Lee C. Bollinger Forum at Columbia University and Online
The Forever War and the First Amendment
A symposium on how the “War on Terror” has shaped the freedoms of speech and the press
