Tiffany Wong joins Reporters Committee as Jack Nelson-Dow Jones Foundation Legal Fellow

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press recently welcomed Tiffany Wong as the new Jack Nelson-Dow Jones Foundation Legal Fellow.

Tiffany’s work will focus on expanding journalists’ access to public records at the state and federal level. In addition to assisting Reporters Committee attorneys with litigation matters in trial and appellate courts, she will draft friend-of-the-court briefs and respond to hotline inquiries concerning state and federal public records laws.

Tiffany grew up in Shanghai, China. She attended Amherst College, in Massachusetts, where she majored in law, jurisprudence and social thought, expanding her knowledge in political theory.

“Having seen firsthand experiences of people who have been silenced or who are scared to speak up, I feel like I have both personal dedication and also a more theoretical dedication to the structure of democracy,” Tiffany said. “I just believe that public discourse and access to information is fundamental to a functioning democracy.”

Tiffany later attended New York University School of Law. As a student advocate at the school’s Technology Law and Policy Clinic, she worked on cases related to the surveillance of protesters and access to court records. Tiffany also worked as a student advocate at the law school’s Global Justice Clinic, where she focused on Freedom of Information Act requests related to deportation.

“The rights of the press are not as strong as you think they are. The rights of protesters are not as protected as you think they are,” Tiffany said. “If the U.S. is going to be this bastion of free speech, and yet not really live up to those standards, I think it’s really important for legal work to expose those contradictions, as well as bridge the gap between this ideal and reality.”

Tiffany Wong is not admitted to practice law.

The Reporters Committee regularly files friend-of-the-court briefs and its attorneys represent journalists and news organizations pro bono in court cases that involve First Amendment freedoms, the newsgathering rights of journalists and access to public information. Stay up-to-date on our work by signing up for our monthly newsletter and following us on Twitter or Instagram.

Photo by Anna G. Bahn