Amy Kristin Sanders
@amykristinsanders.bsky.social
John and Ann Curley Chair in First Amendment @ Penn State. Loves: Cardinals baseball, shelter dogs, solo travel. Hates: Oxford commas, two spaces after a period. Former Middle East expat. Texas refugee. Recovering journalist. Not your attorney.
Pinned
Career Goal Achieved: When your name is actually listed in the @merriam-webster.com dictionary entry for freedom of the press!
H/T: @josh.splc.org for making my month by sharing!
H/T: @josh.splc.org for making my month by sharing!
It's been a year of unprecedented attacks on freedom of speech and particularly on freedom of the press in the United States.
Regardless of your political leanings everyone should be worried about government attempts to silence expression.
Regardless of your political leanings everyone should be worried about government attempts to silence expression.
Opinion | I Counted Trump’s Censorship Attempts. Here’s What I Found.
www.nytimes.com
December 31, 2025 at 1:36 PM
It's been a year of unprecedented attacks on freedom of speech and particularly on freedom of the press in the United States.
Regardless of your political leanings everyone should be worried about government attempts to silence expression.
Regardless of your political leanings everyone should be worried about government attempts to silence expression.
Only redacting 246 words in an 80-page transcript is a win for transparency. Court records like these should be released to the public whenever redaction is possible.
Sadly, rulings on the media's ability to cover the trial—critical to the public's trust in the legal system—were less favorable.
Sadly, rulings on the media's ability to cover the trial—critical to the public's trust in the legal system—were less favorable.
Judge orders release of redacted audio, transcript from closed Tyler Robinson hearing
Both Robinson's defense team and the Utah County Sheriff's Office have previously asked the Court to ban cameras from the hearings.
kutv.com
December 29, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Only redacting 246 words in an 80-page transcript is a win for transparency. Court records like these should be released to the public whenever redaction is possible.
Sadly, rulings on the media's ability to cover the trial—critical to the public's trust in the legal system—were less favorable.
Sadly, rulings on the media's ability to cover the trial—critical to the public's trust in the legal system—were less favorable.
The Bum Steer awards are always one of my favorite holiday happenings, and @texasmonthly.bsky.social nails it this year:
"The GOP has been in charge of Texas for two decades, so if Republican voters have a deep-seated grievance, it’s the fault of Republicans."
"The GOP has been in charge of Texas for two decades, so if Republican voters have a deep-seated grievance, it’s the fault of Republicans."
December 24, 2025 at 1:46 PM
The Bum Steer awards are always one of my favorite holiday happenings, and @texasmonthly.bsky.social nails it this year:
"The GOP has been in charge of Texas for two decades, so if Republican voters have a deep-seated grievance, it’s the fault of Republicans."
"The GOP has been in charge of Texas for two decades, so if Republican voters have a deep-seated grievance, it’s the fault of Republicans."
Reposted by Amy Kristin Sanders
ICYMI: I asked DHS' public affairs office if it considered recording or following law enforcement to be obstruction of justice, and they said "that sure sounds like obstruction."
reason.com/2025/12/22/d...
reason.com/2025/12/22/d...
DHS says recording or following law enforcement 'sure sounds like obstruction of justice'
Seven federal circuit courts have upheld the First Amendment right to record and monitor the police.
reason.com
December 23, 2025 at 3:59 PM
ICYMI: I asked DHS' public affairs office if it considered recording or following law enforcement to be obstruction of justice, and they said "that sure sounds like obstruction."
reason.com/2025/12/22/d...
reason.com/2025/12/22/d...
Who could have possibly imagined?!
It's not like we knew Shotspotter was sending police bogus reports of gunfire that turned out to be kids shooting fireworks or cars backfiring.
It's not like we knew Shotspotter was sending police bogus reports of gunfire that turned out to be kids shooting fireworks or cars backfiring.
“BBC Verify has found multiple instances from Florida to Oregon of CrimeRadar sending misleading and inaccurate alerts about serious crime to local residents”
🤦🤦🤦
🤦🤦🤦
AI app causes distress across US with false crime alerts
An AI-powered app called CrimeRadar has apologised for the distress caused by false crime alerts issued to local US communities after a BBC Verify investigation.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 23, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Who could have possibly imagined?!
It's not like we knew Shotspotter was sending police bogus reports of gunfire that turned out to be kids shooting fireworks or cars backfiring.
It's not like we knew Shotspotter was sending police bogus reports of gunfire that turned out to be kids shooting fireworks or cars backfiring.
Reposted by Amy Kristin Sanders
Found the Associated Press article where the existence of this letter was first disclosed two years ago, in response to a FOIA request
It's definitely real
apnews.com/article/jeff...
It's definitely real
apnews.com/article/jeff...
December 23, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Found the Associated Press article where the existence of this letter was first disclosed two years ago, in response to a FOIA request
It's definitely real
apnews.com/article/jeff...
It's definitely real
apnews.com/article/jeff...
More shenanigans from Penn State's Board of Trustees, which as I say in the article, violate the spirit of the state's open records laws.
Given all the ways the Board attempts to avoid transparency, it is hard to see this as anything other than a bad faith attempt to avoid disclosure.
Given all the ways the Board attempts to avoid transparency, it is hard to see this as anything other than a bad faith attempt to avoid disclosure.
Penn State revoked access to online files for two trustees
At least two Penn State trustees no longer have access to Diligent, an online file-sharing platform central to an ongoing court case with Spotlight PA.
www.spotlightpa.org
December 23, 2025 at 2:30 PM
More shenanigans from Penn State's Board of Trustees, which as I say in the article, violate the spirit of the state's open records laws.
Given all the ways the Board attempts to avoid transparency, it is hard to see this as anything other than a bad faith attempt to avoid disclosure.
Given all the ways the Board attempts to avoid transparency, it is hard to see this as anything other than a bad faith attempt to avoid disclosure.
It's pretty much the only way to report on Penn State, its Board of Trustees or its president, who all basically eschew any notion of transparency or accountability to the public.
As government officials become increasingly allergic to openness, we have to be MORE willing to use this approach.
As government officials become increasingly allergic to openness, we have to be MORE willing to use this approach.
You do everything in your power to get every relevant voice in a story. But as one of my former colleagues told a local official who thought his silence would kill a piece: “I’d like to have you. But the story is being written with or without you.”
Reporter: We have 3 videos, 2 breathalyzers, 4 bartenders, and a minivan full of nuns attesting to how the driver was drunk and reckless when he hit the school bus.
Weiss; What did the driver say.
Reporter: He and his lawyer won’t talk. We asked them 5 times.
Weiss: I’m killing your story.
Weiss; What did the driver say.
Reporter: He and his lawyer won’t talk. We asked them 5 times.
Weiss: I’m killing your story.
December 22, 2025 at 2:46 PM
It's pretty much the only way to report on Penn State, its Board of Trustees or its president, who all basically eschew any notion of transparency or accountability to the public.
As government officials become increasingly allergic to openness, we have to be MORE willing to use this approach.
As government officials become increasingly allergic to openness, we have to be MORE willing to use this approach.
It was only a matter of time once she was put in charge...
So many of our country's news "institutions" have failed to rise to the moment.
Yet our country's independent journalists and nonprofit news organizations are doing incredible work.
I just worry it won't be enough.
So many of our country's news "institutions" have failed to rise to the moment.
Yet our country's independent journalists and nonprofit news organizations are doing incredible work.
I just worry it won't be enough.
CBS News chief Bari Weiss pulls '60 Minutes' story, sparking outcry
CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss pulled a 60 Minutes segment on allegations of abuses at an El Salvador detention center where the Trump administration sent hundreds of Venezuelan migrants.
www.npr.org
December 22, 2025 at 2:20 PM
It was only a matter of time once she was put in charge...
So many of our country's news "institutions" have failed to rise to the moment.
Yet our country's independent journalists and nonprofit news organizations are doing incredible work.
I just worry it won't be enough.
So many of our country's news "institutions" have failed to rise to the moment.
Yet our country's independent journalists and nonprofit news organizations are doing incredible work.
I just worry it won't be enough.
I suspect this is an all-too-common occurrence in college towns.
Great work by @spotlightpa.org to shine a light on the mishandling of rape statistics by the State College police.
This is a great example of why more transparency is needed around law enforcement records in Pennsylvania.
Great work by @spotlightpa.org to shine a light on the mishandling of rape statistics by the State College police.
This is a great example of why more transparency is needed around law enforcement records in Pennsylvania.
100s of rapes unreported by State College police
The missing data masked the true extent of the crime surrounding Penn State. The central PA department claims it was unaware of a 2013 change to what is considered rape.
www.spotlightpa.org
December 19, 2025 at 12:14 PM
I suspect this is an all-too-common occurrence in college towns.
Great work by @spotlightpa.org to shine a light on the mishandling of rape statistics by the State College police.
This is a great example of why more transparency is needed around law enforcement records in Pennsylvania.
Great work by @spotlightpa.org to shine a light on the mishandling of rape statistics by the State College police.
This is a great example of why more transparency is needed around law enforcement records in Pennsylvania.
Reposted by Amy Kristin Sanders
Wrong question.
Live cameras are tracking faces in New Orleans. Who should control them?
A private non-profit operates over 200 cameras with live facial recognition in New Orleans. The system raises questions about privacy, legal authority and who should control surveillance technology.
www.wbaa.org
December 16, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Wrong question.
One, among many, reasons I knew I had to leave the University of Texas.
One year ago, I was packing boxes in my Austin living room, naively unaware of just how quickly things would sour. I figured it would take at least 3 years to dismantle higher education in the state.
Boy, was I wrong!
One year ago, I was packing boxes in my Austin living room, naively unaware of just how quickly things would sour. I figured it would take at least 3 years to dismantle higher education in the state.
Boy, was I wrong!
I’m not a narcissist but I would believe you if you told me that this entire thing has been engineered specifically to drive me, a professor at a public university in Texas who teaches First Amendment and writes about AI, out of my mind
Texas universities deploy AI for course audits
Records obtained by The Texas Tribune show how universities are using the technology to reshape curriculum under political pressure, raising concerns about academic freedom.
www.texastribune.org
December 16, 2025 at 2:08 PM
One, among many, reasons I knew I had to leave the University of Texas.
One year ago, I was packing boxes in my Austin living room, naively unaware of just how quickly things would sour. I figured it would take at least 3 years to dismantle higher education in the state.
Boy, was I wrong!
One year ago, I was packing boxes in my Austin living room, naively unaware of just how quickly things would sour. I figured it would take at least 3 years to dismantle higher education in the state.
Boy, was I wrong!
Can I prove a direct causal link between ABC and CBS settling winnable cases with President Trump and him filing this ridiculously untenable case against the BBC? Probably not.
Is there a correlation? Most definitely.
Failure to stand up to bullies only empowers them to bully more.
Is there a correlation? Most definitely.
Failure to stand up to bullies only empowers them to bully more.
Trump sues BBC for $10 billion, accusing it of defamation over editing of president's Jan. 6 speech
President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit seeking $10 billion in damages from the BBC, accusing the British broadcaster of defamation as well as deceptive and unfair trade practices.
apnews.com
December 16, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Can I prove a direct causal link between ABC and CBS settling winnable cases with President Trump and him filing this ridiculously untenable case against the BBC? Probably not.
Is there a correlation? Most definitely.
Failure to stand up to bullies only empowers them to bully more.
Is there a correlation? Most definitely.
Failure to stand up to bullies only empowers them to bully more.
Up the road in College Station, things aren't any better...
December 11, 2025 at 12:57 AM
Up the road in College Station, things aren't any better...
"But perhaps no campus embodies the depth of the change in Texas higher education more than the University of Texas at Austin, located blocks away from the Texas Capitol building."
My heart aches for what UT could have been, but I'm grateful to be a Texas refugee safely settled at Penn State.
My heart aches for what UT could have been, but I'm grateful to be a Texas refugee safely settled at Penn State.
The Conservative Overhaul of the University of Texas Is Underway
www.nytimes.com
December 11, 2025 at 12:46 AM
"But perhaps no campus embodies the depth of the change in Texas higher education more than the University of Texas at Austin, located blocks away from the Texas Capitol building."
My heart aches for what UT could have been, but I'm grateful to be a Texas refugee safely settled at Penn State.
My heart aches for what UT could have been, but I'm grateful to be a Texas refugee safely settled at Penn State.
Reposted by Amy Kristin Sanders
December 10, 2025 at 1:44 AM
Getting rid of single-stall, Gender Neutral restrooms, which are often the best option for people with limited mobility, really says something about your commitment to the war on anyone who isn't a straight, white, able-bodied man.
UT should be embarrassed.
UT should be embarrassed.
‘Bathroom bill’ removes some unisex restrooms, requires biological sex
Transgender students will no longer be able to use bathrooms or locker rooms aligned with their gender identity after a new bill went into effect Thursday. Senate Bill 8, also known as the “Bathroom b...
thedailytexan.com
December 10, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Getting rid of single-stall, Gender Neutral restrooms, which are often the best option for people with limited mobility, really says something about your commitment to the war on anyone who isn't a straight, white, able-bodied man.
UT should be embarrassed.
UT should be embarrassed.
A common tactic in authoritarian countries is to deny visas to journalists.
This is no different.
This is no different.
State Department to deny visas to fact checkers and others, citing 'censorship'
The order is focused on applicants for H-1B visas, which are frequently used by tech companies and is part of a campaign by the Trump administration against online content moderation.
www.npr.org
December 5, 2025 at 11:16 AM
A common tactic in authoritarian countries is to deny visas to journalists.
This is no different.
This is no different.
Reposted by Amy Kristin Sanders
Records that are properly classified can STILL be declassified if their release is in the public interest.
Federal agencies can declassify records this way, and so can the Senate Intelligence Committee.
There is, quite literally, no excuse, for the OLC opinion or the video to be secret.
Federal agencies can declassify records this way, and so can the Senate Intelligence Committee.
There is, quite literally, no excuse, for the OLC opinion or the video to be secret.
December 4, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Records that are properly classified can STILL be declassified if their release is in the public interest.
Federal agencies can declassify records this way, and so can the Senate Intelligence Committee.
There is, quite literally, no excuse, for the OLC opinion or the video to be secret.
Federal agencies can declassify records this way, and so can the Senate Intelligence Committee.
There is, quite literally, no excuse, for the OLC opinion or the video to be secret.
Standing up to a bully is the only way to fight...
Glad to see NYT taking on the Pentagon over these preposterous media restrictions.
Tuesday's farce of a press conference was an insult to the American people, who deserve to know what the government is doing.
Glad to see NYT taking on the Pentagon over these preposterous media restrictions.
Tuesday's farce of a press conference was an insult to the American people, who deserve to know what the government is doing.
New York Times sues Defense Secretary Hegseth over media restrictions - coming up on NPR's Morning Edition at 6.45/8.45a
My written story for NPR:
www.npr.org/2025/12/04/n...
My written story for NPR:
www.npr.org/2025/12/04/n...
'New York Times' sues Pentagon over media restrictions
The Times accuses Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth of violating its constitutional rights with a press policy that, the paper says, deprives the public of access to critical national security information.
www.npr.org
December 4, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Standing up to a bully is the only way to fight...
Glad to see NYT taking on the Pentagon over these preposterous media restrictions.
Tuesday's farce of a press conference was an insult to the American people, who deserve to know what the government is doing.
Glad to see NYT taking on the Pentagon over these preposterous media restrictions.
Tuesday's farce of a press conference was an insult to the American people, who deserve to know what the government is doing.
In case you need a feel-good story this morning, 150 BYU fans donated nearly $5,000 to the State College Food Bank after it became clear that Penn State was unsuccessful in recruiting Kalani Sitake.
That gesture of sportsmanship is going to feed a lot of hungry people in Happy Valley!
That gesture of sportsmanship is going to feed a lot of hungry people in Happy Valley!
Why BYU Fans Donated Thousands of Dollars to the State College Food Bank
It was Tuesday evening when State College Food Bank Executive Director Allayn Beck noticed the surge in donations. Contributions had been steady
www.statecollege.com
December 4, 2025 at 11:49 AM
In case you need a feel-good story this morning, 150 BYU fans donated nearly $5,000 to the State College Food Bank after it became clear that Penn State was unsuccessful in recruiting Kalani Sitake.
That gesture of sportsmanship is going to feed a lot of hungry people in Happy Valley!
That gesture of sportsmanship is going to feed a lot of hungry people in Happy Valley!
Nothing like wasting taxpayers' money to defend unconstitutional legislation when there's clear precedent telling you it's unconstitutional.
One of the few things that brings me solace these days is that I'm no longer supporting Texas' insane antics with my property taxes.
One of the few things that brings me solace these days is that I'm no longer supporting Texas' insane antics with my property taxes.
Texas families file class action lawsuit over law mandating Ten Commandments in schools
Families "don't want their children to be forced to observe and venerate a state-mandated version of the Ten Commandments," the ACLU said.
www.cbsnews.com
December 3, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Nothing like wasting taxpayers' money to defend unconstitutional legislation when there's clear precedent telling you it's unconstitutional.
One of the few things that brings me solace these days is that I'm no longer supporting Texas' insane antics with my property taxes.
One of the few things that brings me solace these days is that I'm no longer supporting Texas' insane antics with my property taxes.
Wonder why yesterday's Pentagon presser was a hot mess?
It was the first since the Pentagon press corps were forced to give up their credentials because they wouldn't sign what basically amounted to a pledge not to do journalism.
It was the first since the Pentagon press corps were forced to give up their credentials because they wouldn't sign what basically amounted to a pledge not to do journalism.
December 3, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Wonder why yesterday's Pentagon presser was a hot mess?
It was the first since the Pentagon press corps were forced to give up their credentials because they wouldn't sign what basically amounted to a pledge not to do journalism.
It was the first since the Pentagon press corps were forced to give up their credentials because they wouldn't sign what basically amounted to a pledge not to do journalism.
I don't like crisis pregnancy centers' tactics, but I can't help but think about this case alongside the Media Matters case, whose interlocutory appeal of a district court order to turn over donor info in a lawsuit brought by X remains pending in the Fifth Circuit best I can tell.
Supreme Court Appears Likely to Rule in Favor of Crisis Pregnancy Center in Challenge to State Investigation | PBS www.pbs.org/newshour/pol...
LISTEN: Supreme Court appears likely to rule in favor of crisis pregnancy center in challenge to state investigation
The facilities often known as “crisis pregnancy centers” have been on the rise in the U.S., especially since the Supreme Court overturned abortion as a nationwide right in 2022.
www.pbs.org
December 3, 2025 at 12:01 PM
I don't like crisis pregnancy centers' tactics, but I can't help but think about this case alongside the Media Matters case, whose interlocutory appeal of a district court order to turn over donor info in a lawsuit brought by X remains pending in the Fifth Circuit best I can tell.
More capitulation...
US wireless carrier AT&T said in a letter to the US telecoms regulator that it had committed to ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs, a move that comes as it seeks approval from the Trump administration to buy wireless spectrum assets. https://cnn.it/3Y3C7eh
December 3, 2025 at 1:21 AM
More capitulation...