About the Report
Today's press is in peril, endangered by legal restrictions on newsgathering, subject to harassment, and beset by economic woes that have caused newspapers to shutter as journalistic jobs vanish at alarming rates. The Floyd Abrams Institute for Freedom of Expression’s report, “The Press Clause: The Forgotten First Amendment,” is the product of two years of research into strengthening freedom of the press. Drawing on the insights of scholars and legal practitioners who met in five workshops to discuss the future of journalism and its relationship to the First Amendment, the report proposes measures to revitalize and empower the Press Clause, an often-overlooked part of the First Amendment.
The report challenges constitutional narratives that downplay the significance of the Press Clause and proposes reforms to enhance press freedom. Key proposals include strengthening newsgathering protections, such as journalistic shield laws to protect reporters’ ability to communicate confidentially with sources, exemptions from curfews during protests, and expanded access to public records. The report also addresses the role of the Press Clause in sustaining the economic viability of the press.
Read the Report: “The Press Clause: The Forgotten First Amendment”
The Launch of the Press Clause Coalition (May 21, 2026):
The Yale Law School Press Clause Project, in conjunction with the Communications and Media Law Committee of the New York City Bar Association, celebrated a Kick-Off Program for the Press Clause Coalition on May 21, 2026.
The program featured remarks by Floyd Abrams and A.G. Sulzberger, Publisher of The New York Times and Chairman of The New York Times Company, as well as a panel discussion of the opportunities and challenges presented by legal advocacy grounded in the First Amendment’s specific guarantee of press freedom.
The Press Clause Coalition is a joint project of the Floyd Abrams Institute for Freedom of Expression, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, the Free Expression Legal Network, Knight First Amendment Institute, the Media Law Resource Center, and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. The Coalition aspires to promote effective advocacy on behalf of journalists and news outlets through the First Amendment’s Press Clause.