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
LATEST NEWS & ANALYSIS
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Press Statement
Supreme Court Declines to Hear Challenge to Arkansas’ Anti-Boycott Law
Knight Institute, legal scholars say boycotts are a protected form of political expression
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Quick Take
Institute’s Jameel Jaffer Talks To Chris Hayes about the Broken U.S. Classification System
In a segment on “All In with Chris Hayes” about the recent discovery of classified documents in the private homes of former President Trump, President Biden, and former Vice President Pence, the Knight Institute’s Executive Director Jameel Jaffer discusses the...
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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FOIA Lawsuit
Knight Institute v. ODNI
A FOIA lawsuit for the immediate release of the U.S. intelligence report on the killing of Jamal Khashoggi
RESEARCH
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Essays and Scholarship
Protecting Public Knowledge Producers
Exploring the nature and value of government knowledge producers in our constitutional order and the legal, cultural, and political threats that they face
By Heidi Kitrosser -
Essays and Scholarship
Investigative Deception Across Social Contexts
Why intentional lies used to conduct undercover investigations are celebrated in some contexts and criminalized in others
By Alan K. Chen
Events
Barnard College - Diana Center - Event Oval
Boycott
A film screening and panel discussion about free speech and the far-reaching implications of anti-boycott laws
Online
Book Talk: Voices in the Code
A conversation with David G. Robinson, Deborah Raji, Arvind Narayanan, and J. Nathan Matias about how algorithms shape key moments in our lives
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?