Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press names Reuters Editor-in-Chief Stephen J. Adler chairman

On Tuesday, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press named Reuters Editor-in-Chief Stephen J. Adler as its newest chairman. Adler succeeds David Boardman, Dean of the Klein College of Communication at Temple University.

The Reporters Committee also named Margaret Low, senior vice president of The Atlantic and President AtlanticLIVE as vice chair.

“I’m honored to be named chairman of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press,” said Adler. “The Reporters Committee’s work providing journalists with access to legal representation and support is of critical importance as press freedom increasingly comes under threat. I look forward to continuing my work with RCFP to protect the First Amendment rights of journalists and to expand legal resources available to state and local press across the country.”

Adler is stepping into the role as the Reporters Committee is set to launch a new initiative aimed at expanding its direct legal services to local journalists and news organizations. Earlier this year, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation announced a $10 million investment toward the initiative as part of a $300 million commitment to rebuilding local news.

“This is an incredible moment for the Reporters Committee, and we are grateful for Steve’s leadership as we expand our support for local journalism,” said Brown. “He’s been an incredible colleague for the past several years, and I’m looking forward to continuing this important work with Steve as our chair.”

The announcement also comes on the heels of the release Tuesday of two Reuters journalists imprisoned in Myanmar after reporting on a massacre of Rohingya Muslim men and boys in 2017. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo had been jailed for more than 500 days. Their reporting on the massacre earned a Pulitzer Prize.

In addition to the Reporters Committee, Adler also chairs the board of overseers for the Columbia Journalism Review, and is a member of the board of the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Low, who joined the Reporters Committee in 2012, oversees The Atlantic‘s live events division, which produces more than 100 events each year in Washington, D.C. and across the country. Prior to The Atlantic, Low was senior vice president for news at NPR.