Columbia Journalism School and The New York Times Present “The Fight for Global Press Freedom”

Columbia Journalism School and The New York Times will host a major and timely gathering, The Fight for Global Press Freedom, on April 21, 2025, in the Joseph D. Jamail Lecture Hall. 

This convening of journalists, law experts and policy thinkers will address the increasing use of financial and legal pressure to suppress investigative reporting. Around the world, both governments and private actors are finding new ways to silence journalists, through regulatory harassment and the pressure of lawsuits.

The afternoon will begin with introductory remarks from Rebecca Blumenstein, President-Editorial, NBC News and Chair of the Board of the Columbia Journalism Review; then, a fireside chat between A. G. Sulzberger, Chairman and Publisher of The New York Times, and Jelani Cobb, Dean and Henry R. Luce Professor of Journalism, on the evolving pressures on independent journalism and the critical role of a free press in democratic societies.

Right afterward, a panel of international journalists will provide firsthand insights into the legal, political and economic forces shaping press freedom today. 

The panel includes Sheila Coronel, Toni Stabile Professor of Professional Practice in Investigative Journalism and Director of the Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism at Columbia Journalism School; Juliana Dal Piva, reporter for ICL Notícias, Brazil, and Centro Latinoamericano de Investigación Periodística (CLIP); András Pethő, co-founder and director of the investigative newsroom Direkt36 in Hungary; and Siddharth Varadarajan, founding editor of the digital news portal The Wire and former editor of The Hindu, both in India.

The audience will also hear remarks from Bruce Brown, President of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

As governments and other powerful entities seek to limit press access and control narratives, this event offers a vital forum for understanding the risks journalists face and the strategies they employ to continue reporting. 

Register here. 

Advanced registration is required for in-person attendance. Registration will remain open until April 21, or until capacity is reached.
The event will be livestreamed for those who can not attend in person.

For media inquiries, please contact Sarah M. Lally, Communications Manager.