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
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Press Statement
Knight Institute Calls on Government Personnel—Civilian and Military—to Protect First Amendment Rights of Protesters and the Press
Peaceful protest and press freedom are features of democracy, not a threat to it, the group underscores
LITIGATION & ADVOCACY
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Lawsuit
United States v. Trump
A motion to intervene in Trump classified documents case seeking release of Volume II of Special Counsel’s report.
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Lawsuit
Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York v. USDA
A case challenging USDA’s purge of climate-related webpages.
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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
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Essays and Scholarship
Representative Ranking for Deliberation in the Public Sphere
Incorporating a justified representation constraint into comment ranking to increase inclusion of diverse viewpoints in online comment sections
By Manon Revel , Smitha Milli , Tyler Lu , Jamelle Watson-Daniels & Maximilian Nickel -
Deep Dive : Federal Funding and the First Amendment
Federal Funding as a Jawbone
The First Amendment's prohibition on jawboning makes the government's attempts to suppress speech at universities like Harvard unconstitutional
By Evelyn Douek -
Deep Dive : Federal Funding and the First Amendment
Congress Could Do Something About the Weaponization of Federal Funding to Silence Speech. For Now, It Probably Won’t.
What Congress can do to take back control of the funding process
By Kate Ruane
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