"[C]rackdowns on the press are most effective when they’re at their least dramatic — not the stuff of thrillers but a movie so plodding and complicated that no one wants to watch it." Writing in The Washington Post, The New York Times Publisher A.G. Sulzberger warns against the quiet war on #pressfreedom that could come to the U.S. — and the damage it would do to American democracy.
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Legal Services
Washington, DC 2,323 followers
RCFP provides free legal resources to protect First Amendment freedoms & the newsgathering rights of journalists.
About us
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press is a nonprofit organization that has provided free legal resources to protect First Amendment freedoms and the newsgathering rights of journalists since 1970. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and our team of attorneys protect First Amendment freedoms and the newsgathering rights of journalists by: *Operating a 24/7 Legal Defense Hotline to answer questions from journalists and media lawyers. *Filing amicus briefs and statements of support in court cases involving First Amendment freedoms and access to public information. *Representing journalists and news organizations pro bono in cases involving First Amendment freedoms and newsgathering. *Providing free resources on media law topics ranging from open government and reporter shield laws to access to court documents and proceedings. *Leading trainings to help news organizations, freelance journalists, documentary filmmakers, and others who gather and report news navigate legal issues. *Preparing the next generation of media lawyers for a career defending the First Amendment through fellowships and internships. For more information, visit our website at rcfp.org.
- Website
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http://www.rcfp.org
External link for Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
- Industry
- Legal Services
- Company size
- 11-50 employees
- Headquarters
- Washington, DC
- Type
- Nonprofit
- Founded
- 1970
- Specialties
- Media Law, First Amendment, Libel, Freedom of Information, Prior Restraints, Reporters Privilege, Court Access, Privacy, Newsgathering, and content regulation
Locations
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Primary
1156 15th St NW
Suite 1020
Washington, DC 20005, US
Employees at Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Updates
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A federal appeals court recently ruled unconstitutional a key provision in a California online safety law that would have required news organizations to restrict access to public-interest journalism. A three-judge panel found that the law’s main requirement — that businesses proactively, as the court put it, “opine on and mitigate the risk that children may be exposed to harmful or potentially harmful materials online” — “facially violates the First Amendment.” The court’s opinion agreed with arguments made by the Reporters Committee in a friend-of-the-court brief filed earlier this year. The brief argued that the law imposes unconstitutional content-based restrictions on news publishers and that it violates minors’ First Amendment rights to access news.
9th Circuit: Provision in California online safety law violates First Amendment
https://www.rcfp.org
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This week, Russia barred a number of U.S. journalists from entering the country, including several members of The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. “This ban is now the latest in Russia’s various attempts to stifle independent information since its invasion of Ukraine,” said Bruce D. Brown, executive director of the Reporters Committee. “But despite these unwarranted efforts to target journalists, the news media around the world will continue to find ways to keep the global public informed.”
Russia Bars Numerous U.S. Journalists From the Country
https://www.nytimes.com
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Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press reposted this
BREAKING: Robert Telles, the former elected Clark County Public Administrator, was found guilty Wednesday of murdering Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German. UPDATES: https://lnkd.in/gYqZ_AuD
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The Justice Department recently charged Sue Mi Terry, an East Asian specialist at the Council on Foreign Relations and former CIA analyst, with conspiracy to violate and failure to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. For the press, FARA has always kind of lurked in the background — but some of the allegations in the Terry case are notable for journalists. Gabe Rottman explains in this edition of The Nuance ⤵
New FARA prosecution sweeps in op-ed writing
https://www.rcfp.org
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A new piece from Nieman Reports explores the importance of journalist safety training — especially amid election season — and how it has evolved in recent years to help reporters handle protests, legal threats, and online harassment. The story mentions the Reporters Committee's pro bono legal help for local media and International Women's Media Foundation's Newsroom Safety Across America initiative, and how efforts like these are preparing journalists for dangerous situations online and on the ground.
From the Battlefield to the Campaign Trail | Nieman Reports
https://niemanreports.org
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Big thanks to American Press Institute and International Women's Media Foundation for featuring the Reporters Committee in their Election Safety Crash Course! This installment equips journalists with the essential legal knowledge needed to avoid arrest, access information and, ultimately, produce meaningful stories that will inform voters and our democracy. Read on ⤵
Journalists must understand their legal rights to safely and effectively report on elections. In the latest installment of API + International Women's Media Foundation election safety series, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press shares advice for: ✅Legal safety at protests ✅Accessing election-related information https://lnkd.in/ekgZXRVy
Understanding your legal rights, from election records to polling places and protests
https://americanpressinstitute.org
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Editor & Publisher (E&P) Magazine this week profiled the Reporters Committee, highlighting our long-running mission to protect journalists’ newsgathering rights and the public’s right to know. "[The Reporters Committee] continues to be a major advocate for protecting newsgathering rights and a proactive fighter against governmental attempts to erode and limit the press’ First Amendment freedoms." The piece discusses RCFP’s work to provide journalists with no-cost legal help, from direct litigation and friend-of-the-court briefs to trainings and resources. It also covers the importance of the Local Legal Initiative and ProJourn in helping support investigative and enterprise reporting. Check it out! ⤵
A journalist’s lifeline: The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press advocates for the press’ rights — and the public’s right to know - Editor and Publisher
editorandpublisher.com
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A federal court this week unsealed a list of X Corp.’s financial backers after journalist Jacob Silverman, represented by Reporters Committee attorneys, successfully sought to make the records available to the public. The document offers a look at the investors who helped Elon Musk buy the platform formally known as Twitter in October 2022. Among the shareholders listed are Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal al Saud, and a fund linked with Sean “Diddy” Combs. The Reporters Committee's Katie Townsend said in a statement to The Washington Post that the court’s ruling vindicates “the interest of the general public in knowing who owns X.” https://lnkd.in/gmz_s4Q4
With help from RCFP attorneys, tech journalist forces disclosure of X Corp.’s investors
https://www.rcfp.org
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In July 2023, KNKX Public Radio published an investigation into allegations of coach misconduct in a youth soccer league. It led to disciplinary action within two weeks of publication, and has since won multiple reporting awards. Florangela Davila, the former news director of KNKX, says this kind of in-depth story was a departure for the local NPR station, which does not have in-house counsel. She says the deep-dive was made possible by ProJourn — a partnership between the Reporters Committee, Microsoft, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, and the Knight Foundation to provide local journalists and newsrooms with free legal help. ProJourn connected Davila with a team of attorneys from Microsoft and DWT, who thoroughly vetted the investigation for legal risk pro bono. “As much as other reporters can give you reporting tips or suggest paper trails or interviews, there’s still something unique about having a lawyer’s eyes on something," says Davila. "They got as invested in the story as we did, which felt really nice. It felt like we were a team.”
KNKX youth soccer investigation, supported by ProJourn, prompts coaching suspensions
https://www.rcfp.org