Amy K. Sanders

Dr. Amy Kristin Sanders is an award-winning journalist, licensed attorney and tenured associate professor. She serves as the first female editor of Communication Law and Policy. Sanders previously taught at Northwestern University’s campus in Doha, Qatar. She began her academic career at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Sanders studies the legal regulation and ethical use of emerging technologies, with an emphasis on freedom of expression and democratic values. Specifically, her work focuses on media law and ethics issues globally, including media freedom, access to information and government transparency, freedom of speech and the regulation of social media and emerging technologies.

Sanders has published more than 30 scholarly articles in law reviews and peer-reviewed journals, including the Georgia Law Review, Tulane Law Review, the Journal of International Media & Entertainment Law, Federal Communication Law Journal, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly and the Journal of Civic Information. Her research has been supported by multiple funders, including the National Science Foundation. She co-authors the widely recognized casebook First Amendment and the Fourth Estate: The Law of Mass Media, published by Foundation Press (West Academic).

An expert witness and consultant to Fortune 500 companies on media law and ethics issues, Sanders regularly counsels international governments and law firms regarding regulatory proceedings, policy development and pending litigation. Most recently, she was retained as an expert witness on journalism standards and practices in the Fox News/Dominion Voting Systems defamation lawsuit.She recently served as the Secretary on the Board of Directors for the Student Press Law Center, a D.C.-based nonprofit organization that promotes, supports and defends the First Amendment rights of student journalists and their advisers.

Sanders is a frequent commentor on domestic and international media law and ethics issues, and she has been quoted by the Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg, Reason, Mother Jones, Wired and numerous other newspapers, magazines and television stations. In addition, she has published opinion columns in major newspapers, including USA Today, the Houston Chronicle and the Austin American-Statesman. 

Sanders worked as a copy editor and page designer for the Gainesville (Fla.) Sun, then a New York Times Co. newspaper. She earned a Ph.D. in mass communication from the University of Florida. Her M.A. in professional journalism and her Juris Doctorate are from the University of Iowa, where she focused her studies on the First Amendment, media law and internet governance. She is a member of the Florida Bar.