Everyone in civil society needs to stand up Speak the truth while we still have agency [Video]

In recent weeks, the Trump administration has launched a multipronged crackdown on institutions and speech that challenge his agenda, targeting Big Law, universities, and media outlets. Amid this escalating assault on the First Amendment, veteran journalist John Harwood and First Amendment scholar Mary Anne Franks argue that institutions such as the press and academia must reevaluate their approaches to neutrality and objectivity. “Everyone in civil society needs to stand up,” Harwood says. “That includes the business sector. [Trump] is going to destroy the rule of law.” Franks cautions that we may be underestimating the threat to our own detriment. “It may seem when you attack Columbia University, that you’re just attacking a bunch of elites. But you’re attacking the idea of knowledge, you’re attacking the idea of criticism,” she warns. “This is a direct threat to all of us.”March 16, 2025