To bear witness is to say
I will not let this be hidden
in darkness.
Will Potter is a thought leader and award-winning investigative journalist whose work has focused on social justice and environmental movements, and attacks on civil rights post-9/11.
His work has been featured by the world’s top media outlets, including The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, and Rolling Stone, and his investigations have overturned criminal prosecutions and helped strike down censorship laws. Will was the first investigative journalist to be named a TED Senior Fellow, and has addressed governmental bodies including the U.S. Congress, Australian Parliament, and Council of Europe.
He is the author of Green Is the New Red, which exposed the FBI’s targeting of protest groups and was awarded a Kirkus Star for “remarkable merit.” His new book, Little Red Barns: Hiding the truth, from farm to fable, is a 10-year investigation of factory farms and fascism.
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 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 inaugural Distinguished Journalist-in-Residence and Civil Rights Fellow at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. In this capacity he looks forward to sharing his scholarship on political repression so that it might assist social movements globally who are under attack.
Speaking to Our Shared Values
We can’t make a better world if we’re only talking to like-minded people. Will’s work pushes traditional media boundaries to “meet people where they stand”—from elite universities to community churches, conservative radio to punk records. Learn more about how Will is making an impact by communicating complex stories for diverse audiences.