To bear witness is to say in protest:
I will not let this
be hidden in darkness.
Will Potter is an award-winning investigative journalist and TED Senior Fellow who exposes political repression and the erosion of civil liberties.
His reporting and commentary have appeared in The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, and Rolling Stone, and has helped overturn prosecutions and challenge censorship laws. He has been invited to testify before the U.S. Congress, the Australian Parliament, and the Council of Europe, advocating for protest rights and press freedom.
His landmark book Green Is the New Red revealed how governments and corporations have labeled nonviolent activists as “terrorists.” Counter Terrorism Unit surveillance documents described it as “compelling and well-written.” His new book, Little Red Barns, is the result of a 10-year investigation into factory farms and rising fascism, and was recently named one of Publishers Weekly’s most-anticipated releases and a starred review.
Will’s journalism and scholarship have been heavily influenced by growing up in the hardcore punk scene, and he has collaborated with bands including Rise Against. He was previously a Knight-Wallace Fellow and visiting professor at the University of Michigan, and was named the distinguished journalist-in-residence at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. He was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas.
Andrew Solomon
National Book Award Winner
“Will Potter’s words are flatly delivered yet morally charged, his tenor at once radical and unafraid. His investigative journalism reminds us brilliantly of the human price we pay for cowardice and moral turpitude.”
Will was named the Distinguished Journalist-in-Residence and inaugural Civil Rights Fellow at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.
He shares his analysis of political repression with diverse audiences, from Harvard Law School to hardcore punk shows and community churches, to assist protest movements globally who are under attack.
