About Us

On Oct. 14, 2015, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press celebrated its 45th anniversary year with a reception and fundraiser for some 150 guests at the offices of Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C.

The cornerstone of the evening was an in-depth discussion with Reporters Committee Chairman Pierre Thomas posing questions to former Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.  about "Freedom of the Press Today."

Video and photos from the event are online here.

Serving a Free Press

For more than 45 years, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and its staff attorneys have provided free legal resources, support, and advocacy to protect the First Amendment and freedom of information rights of journalists working in areas where U.S. law applies, regardless of the medium in which their work appears.

Funded by corporate, foundation, and individual contributions, the Reporters Committee serves more than 2,000 reporters, editors, and media lawyers who call for help each year, as well as the tens of thousands who use its website.

And since its founding, no reporter has ever paid for the Reporters Committee's help in defending First Amendment rights.

Among the services that the Reporters Committee and its attorneys offer are:

• A Legal Defense Hotline manned by Reporters Committee attorneys that is available to working journalists in any medium and media lawyers 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

• Amicus Briefs and Statements of Support both alone and in conjunction with major news and transparency organizations.  The Reporters Committee or its attorneys are involved in more than 20 briefs each year that are filed with the U.S. Supreme Court and in federal and state courts. The Reporters Commitee is a voice for the right to freely gather and disseminate information in any form.

• Publications and Resources available free online on topics ranging from state and federal open government laws, access to electronic records, reporters’ shield laws around the country, access to court documents and proceedings, and more.

• Rapid Responses to reporter inquiries on media law stories.

• Regional Training Seminars to help emerging and established online investigative news sites navigate the particular legal issues of electronic newsgathering.

• Special Events Reporters Hotlines for reporters who might encounter difficulties covering events such as presidential inaugurals, Olympics, political party conventions and the like.

• Fellowships and Internships for the next generation of free press reporters and media lawyers.

Learn more about the Reporters Committee in the following video, produced for us by the Giving Library.