Opening remarks by Maribel Pérez Wadsworth at Knight Media Forum 2026

As prepared for delivery

Good morning.

As Caridad so beautifully said, Miami welcomes you. Bienvenidos a mi ciudad, donde nuestra diversidad es nuestra fuerza y nuestra belleza. And welcome to Knight Media Forum 2026.

In times of uncertainty and unease, occasions when we come together as a community take on even greater importance. You are the people I want to be with right now.

Two hundred and fifty years ago, the founders gathered in Philadelphia and did something extraordinary. They declared that a nation could be built on an idea: that all people are created equal, endowed with certain inalienable rights, and that government exists to protect those rights.

They could not have imagined this country in 2026. They couldn’t have known about the technologies we take for granted, the way information moves, the forces reshaping how we live and work and talk to each other.

But they got the big thing right. They knew that our rights had to be written down. And defended.

The First Amendment begins: Congress shall make no law. From the opening words, it’s a check on government power.

No law inhibiting our right to free speech. To a free press. To peaceably assemble. To petition our government. To practice any religion we choose, or none at all.

One sentence. Five essential freedoms.

It’s worth remembering that the Bill of Rights wasn’t part of the original Constitution. The people demanded it. At the Constitutional Convention, George Mason, a delegate from Virginia, refused to sign — precisely because the document failed to enumerate individual rights.

We have the First Amendment because Americans have always understood that unchecked power leads to overreach. And that the people must have the tools to push back.

Jack and Jim Knight created Knight Foundation seventy-five years ago based on the conviction that informed, engaged citizens are the engine of democracy. Not its passengers. The engine.

For us, for everyone in this room, the First Amendment is the promise that power in this country rests with the people.

That we always retain our rights to speak, to publish, to gather, to protest, to worship.

That promise is under attack.

The First Amendment is democracy’s firewall. If it falls, America falls with it.

The world has been watching Minnesota. Journalists harassed in the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Some arrested for doing their job.

One of those brave journalists, Georgia Fort, is here with us today.

Georgia, we support you. We stand with you.

It isn’t just reporters who are being targeted. The top federal immigration officer warned that calling his agents “the gestapo” or using a word like “kidnapping” will — quote — “have consequences.”

Think about that. A government official telling American citizens what language we’re allowed to use.

Peaceful observers and protesters have been pepper sprayed, beaten, arrested, and, yes, killed.

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 turned 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.

And yet. That’s not the whole story. Because something else is happening. Something that should give everyone in this room hope.

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.

After arts organizations spoke up, Congress fully funded the NEA.

Reporters continue to do their jobs. Bravely. Doggedly. Whatever the cost.

In the most recent Freedom Forum survey, 9 out of 10 Americans said the First Amendment is vital.

Nine out of ten.

In a country that agrees on almost nothing, we agree on this.

The First Amendment may be under attack. But the American people are defending it.

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.

When we support local news, we’re building trust in communities.

When we invest in independent research, we’re building trust in shared facts.

When we invest in libraries, in public spaces, in performing and visual arts centers, we’re helping people to build trust in each other and in the places they call home.

We’re here at Knight Media Forum to explore ideas. To build partnerships. To find new ways to make change.

To keep building a more perfect union.

At Knight, our aim is to ignite in every person the power to shape thriving communities.

It’s a simple belief — that real power in America rests with the people.

It’s a bet that the people who will solve our hardest problems are the people who live with them.

We believe democracy is a daily practice. Not a spectator sport. A daily practice.

Since we met here a year ago, Knight has continued to make investments that strengthen communities, respond to the moment, and defend our democracy.

We helped create the Public Media Bridge Fund, giving local public broadcasters the backing and runway to reinvent their business.

We’re supporting Dr. Vivek Murthy’s Together Project, because solving our problems starts with rebuilding social connection.

We’ve continued to invest in the Knight Research Network — the scholars helping to make sense of today’s information ecosystem.

We’re doubling down on our work with Report for America and the American Journalism Project, supporting their bold bets on the future of local news.

And just a few weeks ago, we created an emergency fund at Press Forward Minnesota, because journalists there need the resources to do their jobs, including legal protection. And Knight Foundation will always have their back.

Our way of life depends on informed, engaged citizens. We are the ultimate check on government power.

The power is still with the people.

With people like Georgia Fort.

Like Jorge Ramos, who is ensuring Spanish speakers have access to quality news.

Like Erin Harkey, who’s leading the fight to protect free expression for artists.

Like Tim Isgitt, who showed how quickly philanthropy could step up for public media.

And people like the trouble-making investigative reporter Julie K. Brown, whose tenacious work exposed Jeffrey Epstein.

They’re all here at KMF. Alongside all of you.

Look around. This room is full of people doing the work.

At Knight, we believe the future is your idea.

It will be shaped by the choices we make, the values we defend.

For all of us, together, the future is our idea.

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.