New Developments in Online Speech Regulation
James Baker, previously a leading attorney for the FBI during the Russiagate investigations, has joined the board of a new initiative focused on regulating online discourse.
According to recent findings from Foundation for Freedom Online, Baker is now involved with the Knight Georgetown Institute (KGI), an organization established to combat misinformation following Donald Trump’s election in 2016.
KGI, launched in 2024, is aimed at creating a framework for state laws concerning social media. Co-founded by the Knight Foundation and Georgetown University, it prioritizes legislative guidance, including toolkits for lawmakers to regulate social platforms.
Alongside Baker, the board features Alond La Nelson, who acts as the director of science and technology policy in the Biden administration. The initiative involves 26 governmental agents, 14 universities, and more than 20 non-governmental organizations. Nahiba Said, who previously defended key documents in court, is also on the board.
In March 2025, KGI released a document called the “Better Feed” manifesto, which suggests three changes for how social media should function:
- Bridging: The algorithm should promote constructive dialogue instead of merely boosting engagement, leading to the suppression of conflicting content.
- Investigation: Platforms should continually survey users to tailor content to their preferences.
- Quality indicators: Content labeled as “toxic” or of poor quality should be demoted, while backing more “authorized” news sources.
This “quality” benchmark is quite flexible and subjective. Baker and others have also endorsed content moderation tools like NewsGuard and Google Jigsaw’s AI. For instance, NewsGuard has been known to blacklist popular conservative media outlets such as Breitbart and Newsmax.
Additionally, the Foundation for Freedom Online has highlighted the Knight Foundation’s significant financial backing in the realm of censorship. As of June 2024, over $107 million has been allocated toward efforts against misinformation and algorithmic bias, leading to extensive funding in research and media.
FFO also points out that in 2024, the Knight Foundation directly influenced a presidential election, contributing nearly $7 million to news outlets in key swing states. CEO Maribel Wadsworth has been a pivotal financier of journalism and media advances, although her organization has faced scrutiny regarding its role in election interference.
The Trump administration aimed to limit online censorship at the federal level. However, the activities of the Knight-Georgetown Institute suggest a continued push for these efforts at the state level, as experts in “disinformation” seek to establish a firmer presence.
