Media Law professor announces retirement

By Samantha Laurey

David Greene will retire at the end of the Fall 2020 semester after teaching media law and First Amendment rights to San Francisco State journalism students for 18 years.

Greene will continue to work full-time as a senior staff attorney and civil liberties director for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The foundation is a non-profit organization that focuses on defending civil liberties such as free speech in the digital world.

"David has had a profound impact on a generation of San Francisco State journalism students," said Rachele Kanigel, chair of the journalism department. "As a champion of the First Amendment, he has encouraged students to know their rights and exercise them in the pursuit of journalism. We'll miss him."

During his early years of teaching, Greene worked for an organization called The First Amendment Project. The organization is based in Oakland and focuses on providing free legal services and counsel to activists, journalists and artists about free speech and press. He also worked for a law firm representing news media representatives. He started teaching at SFSU in 2002.

“I am really thankful for the students,” said Greene as he reflected back on his teaching, “I enjoyed the times I was able to get students to talk about their own personal perspectives on things.”

Greene said that he appreciates the students who have kept in contact with him after graduation and hopes that students will continue to keep in touch, even after his retirement.