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
Knight Institute Seeks Immediate Release of Special Counsel’s Report on Trump’s Mishandling of Classified Documents
Says the public has a First Amendment “right of access” to the document
LATEST NEWS & ANALYSIS
-
Press Statement
Federal Court Says First Amendment Bars Government From Deporting Students and Faculty on Basis of Political Viewpoint, Says Challenge to Trump Policy Can Go Forward
Ruling is a victory for free speech and step towards ending unconstitutional policy across U.S. campuses, Knight Institute says
-
Press Statement
Court Says White House Can’t Exclude AP From Press Pool Based on Viewpoint
Opinion is “careful, well-reasoned,” Knight Institute says
-
Press Statement
Legal Organizations Across Ideologies File Amicus Brief Urging Court to Enjoin Executive Order Targeting Perkins Coie
The order targets Perkins Coie for its past voting rights litigation
LITIGATION & ADVOCACY
-
Lawsuit
United States v. Trump
A motion to intervene in Trump classified documents case seeking release of Volume II of Special Counsel’s report.
-
Lawsuit
Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York v. USDA
A case challenging USDA’s purge of climate-related webpages.
-
Lawsuit
The Foundation for Global Political Exchange v. Department of the Treasury
A case challenging OFAC’s suppression of the exchange of political ideas
RESEARCH
-
Institute Update
Knight Institute Initiative on “Federal Funding and the First Amendment” Draws Leading Scholars and Litigators
On Friday, May 23, the Knight Institute will host a closed convening at Columbia University to explore the question of when the government may regulate speech by imposing conditions on federal funding.
By Katy Glenn Bass -
Essays and Scholarship
Anticipatory AI Ethics
Steering AI ethics towards the technological horizon
By Seth Lazar -
Essays and Scholarship
What Will Remain for People to Do?
The future of labor in a world with increasingly productive AI
By Daniel Susskind
Events
Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY
On the Skirmish Line
A panel discussion on the evolving climate for protest coverage
Civic Hall and Online
The Future of Press Freedom: Democracy, Law, and the News in Changing Times
A symposium examining what it means to safeguard and support the role of the press in the United States today.
Columbia University and Online
Permission to Speak Freely? Managing Government Employee Speech in a Democracy
A symposium examining the speech rights of public employees—and the threats they face