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Election 2024: Legal resources for journalists

The Reporters Committee has created this page as a one-stop shop of free resources to help journalists covering the 2024 elections better understand their legal rights and more fully report on the election process.

Below, learn more about the Reporters Committee’s 24/7 Legal Hotline, updated Election Legal Guide — with specific information on battleground states — and other resources to equip journalists and newsrooms to handle any challenges that might arise while covering elections at all levels.

A text graphic promoting the Reporters Committee's Legal Hotline. Phone number: 800-336-4243. Email: hotline@rcfp.org.

Legal Hotline

Journalists who have questions or encounter issues while reporting on the 2024 elections can reach the Reporters Committee 24/7 at our Legal Hotline.

Election Legal Guide

From covering campaign events to accessing voting records, this guide outlines the legal issues that journalists may face while reporting on elections.

Guía Legal Para Las Elecciones

Esta Guía Legal para las Elecciones ofrece una vista general de las dificultades legales que podrían encarar los periodistas al reportar sobre las elecciones de medio plazo del año 2024.

A split graphic with the text "Police, Protestors, and the Press" on the left and symbols for a police badge, fist, and press badge on the right.

Police, Protesters, and the Press

This legal guide helps journalists understand their rights at mass demonstrations and how to avoid arrest when covering these unpredictable events.

A large group of protesters holding up signs on the streets of Los Angeles, with police officers watching from a bridge above the crowd.

Tip sheet: How to protect yourself when covering a protest

A concise collection of best practices for journalists to ensure their safety while reporting on protests.

Understanding your legal rights, from election records to polling places and protests

The Reporters Committee authored a special edition of the American Press Institute’s series on election safety, focusing on the legal knowledge journalists need to produce stories that will inform voters.

A police officer shouts at Associated Press videojournalist Robert Bumsted, Tuesday, June 2, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

DOJ recommendations for police-press interactions at protests

Released in the heart of election season, a new Justice Department report highlights best practices for police-press interactions at mass demonstrations.

Trainings and Events

Reporters Committee attorneys are involved in many in-person and virtual sessions to prepare journalists for the 2024 elections — see the full slate here.

Balloons descend from the ceiling of a large arena onto a crowd of people at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

2024 Political Conventions

A collection of tips and resources for reporting on the 2024 national political conventions.