Alumni Spotlight: George Wang ’20 on MFIA and the First Amendment

When Xiangnong (George) Wang ’20 arrived at Yale Law School in 2017, his focus was already clear: public interest law and the social impact of technology.

“I went into Yale thinking that I wanted to do something public interest oriented,” he recalled. “Specifically, I was thinking about ways that technology influences society, technology as a civil rights issue, bias and discrimination in tech, and the ways tech culture shapes our democracy.”

That approach led him to the Information Society Project and the Media Freedom and Information Access (MFIA) clinic. “It felt like one of the centers of that kind of community,” he says. “I started with MFIA at the beginning of my 2L year and stayed through the end of my 3L year.”

Though he hadn’t initially considered a focus on the First Amendment, MFIA introduced him to the constitutional terrain that would later define his legal path. 

“MFIA was really where I found my interest in the intersection of the First Amendment with many of the issues I care about,” Wang said.

His entry into free speech law was distinctive: “A lot of my initial lens into the First Amendment was in a defensive posture,” he saud. “I saw it as a tool that businesses and private entities used to resist government regulation. I viewed it as a potential threat to sensible tech regulation.” That tension, between constitutional protections and structural accountability, became a productive environment for legal exploration.

During his 2L summer, Wang joined the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project as a legal intern. After graduation, he became a fellow at the Knight First Amendment Institute, where he now serves as a staff attorney. 

“It was amazing to enter into spaces full of committed free speech advocates who often came at the First Amendment from different perspectives,” Wang said. “Those experiences helped me think more deeply about what the First Amendment can and should mean.”

MFIA was critical in giving him both exposure and tools, according to Wang. 

“I didn’t know much about the First Amendment or access to information before I joined MFIA,” he said. “But I got to work with amazing fellows and peers — people who came in with interests in tech, media, government transparency — and learning from them was invaluable.”

One formative project was PEN America v. Trump, a First Amendment lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s retaliatory threats against journalists. “I got to see the case from the beginning. Building the complaint, thinking through legal strategy, anticipating the government’s procedural arguments,” he said. “In my first year, I worked with a more senior student. In my second, I took on more of a mentorship role. That case meant a lot to me.”

Wang also recalled participating in a MFIA convening on digital health data, which brought together legal scholars and medical professionals. “That experience showed me another side of MFIA. Not just litigation, but research, policy, and interdisciplinary thinking.”

More than anything, Wang said he values the culture of dialogue MFIA cultivated. 

“It wasn’t a place where we worked in silos. We talked through issues in our case teams, with fellows, supervisors, and in seminar. That collective process — working through tough questions together — that’s something I still rely on in my work at the Knight Institute.”

MFIA’s intellectual openness also left an impression. “There wasn’t a prescriptive view of what the First Amendment should mean,” he said. “That freedom to explore, and even to disagree, gave me space to shape my own perspective.”

His advice to current MFIA students? Stay curious and embrace the range of experiences law school offers. 

“Take advantage of all the talks, classes, and conversations. And don’t feel like there’s only one path. What makes you unique is your combination of experiences. Inside and outside the law.”

Looking back, Wang remains closely connected to MFIA. “I’m really proud of the work MFIA is doing. I’m proud to be part of the community, and I’m excited to keep supporting it however I can.”