Maribel Pérez Wadsworth opens Knight Media Forum 2026 with a call to defend the First Amendment

Maribel Pérez Wadsworth

MIAMI — Today, Knight Foundation kicked off its 2026 Knight Media Forum (KMF26) with remarks from President and CEO Maribel Pérez Wadsworth. She spoke about the urgent need to defend the First Amendment, amid rising threats to journalists, artists, civil society leaders, academics and everyday Americans. 

Reflecting on the nation’s founding and the enduring power of the Bill of Rights, Pérez Wadsworth emphasized that “The First Amendment is democracy's firewall. If it falls, America falls with it.”

KMF26 brings together journalists, artists, civic leaders, researchers, academics and funders to confront the most critical issues facing communities across the country today. This three-day conference explores how civic life is shifting in a time of rapid change, including exploring the state of the information landscape, the First Amendment and the rise of artificial intelligence. 

This year’s conference will feature distinguished speakers, including Jonathan Kanter, former assistant attorney general for the Antitrust Division at the U.S. Department of Justice; Knight Foundation trustee, Marty Baron; Julie K. Brown; Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion; and Dean Baquet, Knight Foundation trustee and former executive editor of The New York Times.

Key quotes from the remarks:

• Building Trust in Communities: “At its core, the First Amendment is about trust. Jack and Jim Knight built their newspaper company on trust. They gave their readers something precious: reliable information. They knew that the First Amendment safeguards the free flow of information. That it protects our rights to hold, share and discover different perspectives. That it encourages artistic expression. They knew that trust is the soul of democracy. They created Knight Foundation to support great journalism and to enable thriving communities. Today, all of our work is aimed at building trust.”
• Knight Media Forum is a Rallying Call: “For years, this was a gathering of journalists and funders. In this room today also are artists and librarians, scholars and technologists, civic leaders and community members. Each of us has power. Each of us has rights. And with those rights, a responsibility to build a future we can be proud of. This is more than a conference. This is a rallying call. Nearly 250 years ago, the people looked at power and said: not without limits. Not without our voice. The people demanded a First Amendment. Today, we must demand it be upheld. Let’s get to work.”
• Solidarity with Minnesota: “The world has been watching Minnesota. Journalists harassed in the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul. … Steve Grove, publisher of The Minnesota Star Tribune, put it plainly: “Minnesota’s crisis is America’s crisis.” He’s right. And Minnesota didn't come out of nowhere. In the last year alone we’ve seen … Universities threatened. Arts grants withheld. Lawyers sanctioned. Public media funding cut. Pentagon reporters forced to turn in their press credentials. Even an FBI raid on the home of a Washington Post journalist. Last month, Amnesty International declared a human rights crisis in the United States. Not overseas. Here. Now. Us.”
• Defending the First Amendment: “The American people are standing up. In cities and towns across the country. Quietly and loudly, people are organizing. When public media faced catastrophic cuts, listeners opened their wallets and gave in historic amounts. Philanthropies, including Knight, stepped in to stabilize stations on the brink. … The First Amendment may be under attack. But the American people are defending it.”

About Knight Foundation:

We are social investors who support a more effective democracy by funding free expression and journalism, arts and culture in community, research in areas of media and democracy, and the success of American cities and towns where the Knight brothers once published newspapers.