Will Potter

I never considered becoming an FBI informant, but the agents’ threats left me terrified. When that fear subsided, I became obsessed. Obsessed with uncovering civil liberties and human rights abuses committed in the name of fighting “terrorism.” And obsessed with using my reporting to make a change. I love the sentiment, but I think there has been an influence on my life more dominant than the FBI or any government agency: punk rock. ““Will Potter is one of the few people on the planet Earth who truly understands what it means to grow up punk and try to channel all of that unbridled youth energy into something positive and worthwhile as you grow older.”” It’s the reason why, after my editors refused to publish stories about FBI abuses and the “Green Scare,” I started my own news service, booked my own speaking events, and traveled the world sounding the alarm. You can blame punk rock as the reason my career has been a bit unconventional, to put it mildly. It has motivated me to surround myself with people who inspire, and only make things that 13-year-old me would be proud of. That’s included books, documentaries, university courses, TED talks, zines, law journal articles, and of course 7” records. In hindsight I can see the connection between these two worlds, journalism and punk rock, and why both have felt like home. At their core, they are each about bearing witness to the world, both the joy and the darkness, and finding the courage to speak truth to power. I was named the Distinguished Journalist-in-Residence and inaugural Civil Rights Fellow at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. In this role I share analysis of political repression with diverse audiences, from Harvard Law School to mainstream media, to assist protest movements globally who are under attack.