Covering Election 2024? Explore RCFP’s free legal resources
With Election Day just a week away, journalists across the U.S. are hard at work producing meaningful stories that will inform voters as they head to the polls. But a contentious election can create obstacles big and small in the reporting process: How can journalists safely cover protests? What are the best ways to access accurate election-related data? What are the rules around newsgathering at polling places?
The Reporters Committee has created 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.
Our Election 2024 page highlights several Reporters Committee resources that equip journalists and newsrooms with the legal knowledge they need to handle any challenges that might arise while covering elections at all levels. These include:
- RCFP’s Legal Hotline: Our free phone and email service, including a 24/7 emergency line, offering assistance to journalists who have legal and newsgathering questions, or encounter issues and are in need of legal help.
- Our Election Legal Guide, in both English and Spanish: A resource outlining the legal issues that journalists commonly face while reporting on elections, from covering campaign events to accessing voting records — with specific sections on battleground states.
- Police, Protesters, and the Press: A guide to understanding newsgathering rights at protests and how to avoid arrest when reporting on these potentially unpredictable events — plus a concise tipsheet you can take and share.
Check out the Reporters Committee’s Election 2024 page today to prepare for Nov. 5 — and bookmark it to have these essential legal resources on hand when you need them most.
The Reporters Committee regularly files friend-of-the-court briefs and its attorneys represent journalists and news organizations pro bono in court cases that involve First Amendment freedoms, the newsgathering rights of journalists and access to public information. Stay up-to-date on our work by signing up for our monthly newsletter and following us on X (Twitter) or Instagram.