US Right to Know
Non-profit organization filing FOIA claims to uncover COVID-19 origins.
First Mentioned
9/27/2026, 4:54:25 AM
Last Updated
9/27/2026, 4:57:29 AM
Research Retrieved
9/27/2026, 4:57:29 AM
Summary
US Right to Know is an organization that utilizes Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to uncover information, as highlighted in its role in exposing connections related to the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization, alongside independent research groups like DRASTIC, played a crucial part in uncovering the DEFUSE proposal, a document detailing plans to insert a furan cleavage site into coronaviruses in collaboration with researchers at Duke University and the University of North Carolina. This work by US Right to Know is presented as an example of independent investigation succeeding where institutional bodies like the NIH did not, in the context of seeking the root cause of the pandemic and questioning the established narrative surrounding gain-of-function research and the lab leak theory. The broader concept of "right to know" is a human right that UNESCO defines as the ability for people to participate in decisions affecting them and to hold others accountable, often in the context of environmental exposures or more generally as freedom of information.
Referenced in 1 Document
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
Wikipedia
View on WikipediaRight to know
Right to know is a human right enshrined in law in several countries. UNESCO defines it as the right for people to "participate in an informed way in decisions that affect them, while also holding governments and others accountable". It pursues universal access to information as essential foundation of inclusive knowledge societies. It is often defined in the context of the right for people to know about their potential exposure to environmental conditions or substances that may cause illness or injury, but it can also refer more generally to freedom of information or informed consent.
Web Search Results
- U.S. Right to Know - Wikipedia
`|topic=` `Content in this edit is translated from the existing French Wikipedia article at ; see its history for attribution.` `{{Translated|fr|Right to know (ONG)}}` U.S. Right To Know (USRTK) is a nonprofit organization. It was founded in 2014 by Gary Ruskin and Stacy Malkin. The organization has been primarily funded by Organic Consumers Association starting with a $44,500 grant to launch the organization. The Organic Consumers Association was the sole funder during USRTK's first years and remained as its largest funder in later years with payments totaling more than $1 million as of 2021. The organization is known for anti-GMO activism, and for promoting the COVID-19 lab leak theory. [...] In 2025, USRTK filed a public records lawsuit against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for withholding many research documents belonging to Ralph Baric. ## See also ## References ## External links | | | --- | | | This article about an organization in the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. | This article about an organization in the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. #### Languages Wikipedia Wikimedia Foundation Powered by MediaWiki [...] | You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article "fr:Right to know (ONG)") in French. Click [show] for important translation instructions. View&sl=fr&tl=en&prev=_t&hl=en) a machine-translated version of the French article. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must follow the LLM translation guideline, revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Consider adding a topic to this template: there are already 1,309 articles in the main category, and specifying`|topic=` will aid in categorization. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If
- About U.S. Right to Know
# About U.S. Right to Know U.S. Right to Know is a nonprofit newsroom and public health research group. We investigate and report on corporate wrongdoing and government failures that threaten our health, environment or food system. We produce independent, nonpartisan journalism in the public interest to help keep families healthy. Since 2015, we have obtained and reported on hundreds of thousands of pages of internal corporate and government documents — from public records requests and litigation, and whistleblowers. We collaborate with public health academics, scientists and journalists around the world to share our findings. Here are links to the extensive global news reporting about our investigations. [...] In 2025, the Society of Professional Journalists, Northern California chapter, awarded U.S. Right to Know with the James Madison Freedom of Information Award for our work investigating and reporting on the origins of COVID-19 and high-risk virological research. “U.S. Right to Know’s work, and their dedication to pursuing government documents in the face of widespread pushback, has helped the public better understand a pandemic that claimed millions of lives,” SPJ NorCal wrote. U.S. Right to Know investigative reporter Natasha Gilbert won first prize in the Global AMR Media Awards for the Pan American region in 2024. Gilbert was the first to report on US efforts to weaken global commitments to reduce antimicrobial resistance. [...] Skip to the content U.S. Right to Know # U.S. Right to Know Pursuing truth and transparency for public health Donate Academic Work Bees Covid-19 Origins Factory Farming Healthwire Pesticides Ultra-Processed Foods All Topics + Academic Work + Bees + Bill Gates + CDC + Chemicals of Concern + Coca-Cola + Corporate Influence at Universities + Cosmetics + Covid-19 Origins + Endocrine Disruptors + EPA + Factory Farming + FDA + Fertility + FOIA + Food-Related Diseases + GMOs + Healthwire + Industry PR & Lobbying + Marketing to Children + Monsanto/Bayer + News Releases + NIH + Pesticides + Risky Research + Sweeteners + Transparency + Ultra-Processed Foods # About U.S. Right to Know
- U.S. Right to Know - Nonprofit newsroom + public health research group investigating corporate wrongdoing + gov't failures that harm health
U.S. Right to Know is a nonprofit investigative public health research and journalism group working globally to expose corporate wrongdoing and government failures that threaten our health, environment and food system. We work in the public interest to help keep families healthy. We uncover, report on and share documents obtained through public records laws and from whistleblowers, and collaborate with public health academics and journalists around the world. Our investigations into the pesticide and ultra-processed food industries have been reported on worldwide, leading to three New York Times exposés; more than a dozen articles in the BMJ, one of the world’s leading medical journals; and 16 co-authored peer-reviewed public health journal articles. Our team has also reported extensively [...] journal articles. Our team has also reported extensively on the origins of Covid-19 and high-risk virological research. We were recognized in a Lancet Global Health report, which named U.S. Right to Know as an example of public health investigative work that challenges the corporate playbook, alongside Transparency International and Open Secrets. The Freedom of the Press Foundation discussed our work in a report about how corporations try to suppress the disclosure of public records. But the work we do has also put us in corporate crosshairs. The Guardian reported on how Monsanto’s ‘intelligence center’ targeted U.S. Right to Know and revealed the company’s 31-page PR plan to try to discredit our investigation into the pesticide industry. It is commonplace for food, chemical and other [...] ### Website ### Crunchbase N/A ### LinkedIn N/A ### Industry Non-profit Organizations ### Company Size 2-10 employees 10 associated members (LinkedIn members who've listed U.S. Right to Know as their current workplace on their profile) ### Founded 2014 ### Funding Last Round Date: N/A Last Round Type: N/A Total Rounds: N/A Last Round Raised: N/A ### Investors N/A ### Specialties investigative journalism, public health, environment, food systems, misinformation, science denial, FOIA, and ultra-processed food ## Locations 4096 PIEDMONT AVE, Oakland, California 94611, US ### Get Directions Directions ## Employees Gary Ruskin (N/A): Corey Stulce (N/A): Patricia Howell (N/A): Right To Know (N/A):
- U.S. Right to Know Investigations
# Our Investigations U.S. Right to Know is a nonprofit investigative public health research and journalism group working globally to expose corporate wrongdoing and government failures that threaten our health, environment and food system. Since 2015, we have obtained, posted and reported on thousands of industry and government documents, including many acquired through judicial enforcement of open records laws. [...] Biohazards blog: Our reporting on new documents obtained by U.S. Right to Know Documents page: Documents USRTK has obtained via Freedom of Information laws Background readings list: Did SARS-CoV-2 Originate in a Lab? What are the Risks of Gain-of-Function Research? Why we are researching the origins of SARS-CoV-2, biosafety labs and GOF research U.S. Right to Know is a nonprofit organization that investigates the risks associated with the corporate food system, and the food industry’s practices and influence on public policy. We promote the free market principle of transparency iscrucial to building a better, healthier food system. Please donate to support our work, and sign up to receive our newsletter for regular updates on our investigation. [...] ### David Shaw, Mississippi State University New York Times: Food Industry Enlisted Academics in GMO Labeling War Emails posted by the New York Times ### Steven N. Blair, University of South Carolina USRTK Short Report: Journalists Fail to Reveal Sources Funded by Coca-Cola ## Industry PR & Front Groups U.S. Right to Know is tracking groups that collaborate with the agrichemical and food industries, often in covert ways, to promote industry products and political agendas.
- USRTK: U.S. Right to Know
U.S. Right to Know is a nonprofit public health research group. We investigate corporate wrongdoing and government failures that threaten our health,