The foundation of a free
society is an informed people.
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.
He has been invited to address more than 200 universities and public forums around the world, including Harvard Law School, the University of Melbourne, and the House of Democracy and Human Rights in Berlin. He was the first investigative journalist to be named a TED Senior Fellow, and his TED talks on anti-protest laws and secret prisons have been viewed millions of times.
Will has been invited to speak about civil liberties and authoritarianism before governmental bodies including the U.S. Congress, Australian Parliament, and Council of Europe. His book, Green Is the New Red: An Insider's Account of a Social Movement Under Siege, exposed the criminalization of nonviolent protest groups by the FBI, and was awarded a Kirkus Star for "remarkable merit." It has been described in Counter Terrorism Unit surveillance documents as “compelling and well-written.”
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.