Transparency & Democracy

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.

LATEST NEWS & ANALYSIS

LITIGATION & ADVOCACY

RESEARCH

Events

Columbia University 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

Columbia University and Online

Generative AI, Free Speech, & Public Discourse

A symposium exploring technological and philosophical questions about generative AI’s effect on public discourse