Gene Policinski

Gene Policinski is the senior fellow for the First Amendment at the Freedom Forum, where he writes, lectures and speaks on an array of First Amendment topics. His work often focuses on press freedom and free speech issues, including whistleblower protections, data privacy and the intersection of news coverage and courts. He regularly contributes to the Freedom Forum’s “First Five” series, has been published in several law review journals and wrote a chapter on press freedom in the American Bar Association book “Whistleblowers, Leaks and the First Amendment.” He is also the author of a new book, “From the Village Green to the Village Screen,” which explores the evolution of First Amendment law, customs and social mores. Since arriving at the Freedom Forum in 1996, Policinski has served in many roles including as executive director of the First Amendment Center, president of the Diversity Institute and chief operating officer of the Freedom Forum Institute, among others. He was a founding editor of USA Today.