The Institute for Technology, Law & Policy is pleased to announce that Courtney C. Radsch, Ph.D., has joined the institute as a postdoctoral research fellow for 2022. Her appointment began on January 1, 2022, and will continue through the end of the year.

Dr. Radsch, a journalist, author, and advocate for free expression, and is currently serving as senior fellow at the Center for International Governance Innovation, as a visiting scholar at Annenberg’s Center for Media at Risk, and as a non-resident fellow at the Center for Media and Society. Prior to that, she spent seven years as Director of Advocacy and Communications at the Committee to Protect Journalists. She has also served as a journalist in the Middle East.

Her research priorities with the Institute for Technology, Law & Policy will fall into three thematic categories: how technology laws and policies impact media sustainability and independence; internet governance and the geopolitics of technology; and content moderation, censorship, and surveillance.

"Courtney is a leading voice on the intersection of new technology with press freedom, and we are tremendously excited to be hosting her,” says Michael Karanicolas, the executive director of the Institute. “In addition to being a brilliant researcher, Courtney brings a breadth of frontline programming experience, along with an extensive track record of direct advocacy on global freedom of expression challenges, which will be a great asset as we seek to develop our engagement with these policy and regulatory issues."

A primary focus of Dr. Radsch’s work has been the interdependence of technology with media sustainability and quality journalism, and how systems can (or cannot) deal with threats such as disinformation, online harassment, and trust in, and integrity of, content and platforms.

"As a journalist, a scholar, and a human rights advocate, I'm deeply invested in the practical implications of my work and this fellowship is an opportunity to work with leading experts in law and engineering to explore some of the research questions that emerged from my work protecting journalists and press freedom over the past decade,” says Dr. Radsch. “I look forward to building on ITLP's interdisciplinary approach to grapple with the wicked problems at the nexus of media, technology and rights while developing new opportunities for engagement." 

Dr. Radsch holds a Ph.D. in international relations from American University, a M.S. from Georgetown University and a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Her first public-facing event for the Institute was participating in the panel “Self- and Co-Governance,” on January 19. Dr. Radsch moderated the session, which was the second installment of the larger series, “Platform Governance,” which the Institute is co-sponsoring with digital interest lab, a group of public interest technology scholars.

About the Institute for Technology, Law & Policy
A partnership between UCLA School of Law and UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, the UCLA Institute for Technology, Law & Policy fosters research and analysis to ensure that new technologies are developed, implemented, and regulated in ways that are socially beneficial, equitable, and accountable.

For more information, contact Alexandra Mata at mata@law.ucla.edu or visit https://law.ucla.edu/academics/centers/institute-technology-law-policy.