The Forever War and the First Amendment

Twenty-five years after 9/11, the legacy of the War on Terror is still shaping what can be said, reported, exposed, and challenged.  On September 9th and 10th, the Knight Institute and Columbia University’s Simon and June Li Center for Global Journalism (@CUJS) will convene journalists, scholars, lawyers, and activists to examine the Forever War’s enduring consequences for speech, the press, surveillance, dissent, and democratic rights and accountability. First Amendment freedoms came under stress from the moment President George W. Bush declared a “War on Terror” and his press secretary warned Americans to “watch what they say.”  Pervasive secrecy and censorship hid war crimes, torture, and other grave human rights abuses. Surveillance programs proliferated, from the NYPD’s targeting of New York Muslim communities to digital surveillance operations of unprecedented scope and reach. Anti-terrorism legislation criminalized forms of peaceful speech and association.  The press struggled to fulfill its role, and when journalists did report on controversial and covert programs, they did so in the shadow of the Espionage Act, which the government deployed against journalists’ sources and threatened to deploy against journalists themselves.  What does all of this mean for us today? To what extent are we still living the Forever War? How have the suppressions and distortions of the Forever War worked their way into our systems and psyches? Is our system of free expression stronger or weaker now?  This two-day symposium will explore these and other questions and assess the lasting significance of the Forever War for First Amendment freedoms and for our democratic institutions and culture.  Reception to follow on September 9th. Lunch will be provided on September 10th. Registration is required. RSVP for in-person or virtual attendance: https://knightcolumbia.org/events/the-forever-war-and-the-first-amendment The symposium is co-sponsored by: Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University - https://knightcolumbia.org   Simon and June Li Center for Global Journalism at Columbia Journalism School - https://journalism.columbia.edu/li-center The symposium is in partnership with: Harper's Magazine - https://harpers.org The Columbia Daily Spectator - https://www.columbiaspectator.com **** About the Knight Institute: The Knight First Amendment Institute defends the freedoms of speech and the press in the digital age through strategic litigation, research, policy advocacy, and public education. Our aim is to promote a system of free expression that is open and inclusive, that broadens and elevates public discourse, and that fosters creativity, accountability, and effective self-government. Support the Knight Institute: https://knightcolumbia.org/page/support-the-knight-institute Website: https://knightcolumbia.org BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/knightcolumbia.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/knightcolumbia/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knightinstitute/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@knightinstitutecolumbia   #firstamendment #freespeech #uspolitics #politics #usnews #history #ushistory #democracy