Jeremy Jojola, Bruce Sanford, Matt Thompson and Susan Zirinsky join RCFP board
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press is excited to welcome four new members to the organization’s Steering Committee: Jeremy Jojola, investigative reporter for Denver’s 9NEWS; Bruce Sanford, one of the country’s leading First Amendment lawyers; Matt Thompson, editor of Headway at The New York Times; and Susan Zirinsky, president and senior executive producer of CBS News.
“We are grateful to have Jeremy, Bruce, Matt and Susan join the Steering Committee and help guide the Reporters Committee’s work to defend journalists’ newsgathering rights and the public’s ability to access information,” said Stephen J. Adler, chair of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. “Their extensive journalism, litigation and leadership experience will be invaluable as the Reporters Committee continues to expand our capacity to serve more journalists, particularly at the local level, and respond to the emerging and pressing legal needs and threats that journalists face nationwide.”
Jojola’s journalism experience spans more than 20 years, during which he has reported on issues ranging from at-risk adults stranded in hospitals across Colorado, prompting new legislation in the state, to trafficking and illicit massage parlors, where his coverage informed the criminal indictment of multiple people. In 2020, he received the Don Bolles Medal from Investigative Reporters & Editors for his reporting on extremist and white supremacy groups in Colorado. Jojola has also been the recipient of 18 regional Emmys, a regional Edward R. Murrow award, and the Colorado Broadcasters Association’s “Best Reporter” distinction.
In his nearly five decades at BakerHostetler, Sanford’s litigation work and legal writings helped shape modern American libel and media law. He has represented almost every major media outlet, from television and cable networks to newspapers and magazines to book publishers. In addition, his treatise on libel and privacy law is relied upon by media lawyers and courts nationwide, along with his book, “Don’t Shoot the Messenger: How Our Growing Hatred of Media Threatens Free Speech for All of Us.” In 2014, the Reporters Committee honored Sanford’s longtime work on behalf of the news media with a Freedom of the Press Award.
Thompson is currently the editor of Headway, a New York Times initiative to investigate global and national challenges. He previously held reporting, editing and leadership roles spanning print, digital, magazine and radio journalism. Before joining The New York Times, he was the editor-in-chief of Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting, where he oversaw award-winning investigative journalism on worker injuries, immigration and labor abuses, among other issues. He has also served as the executive editor of The Atlantic, led the creation of several teams of broadcast and digital journalists at NPR, and worked as an editor and reporter for local news outlets across the country.
Zirinsky became president and senior executive producer of CBS News in 2019 and has since overseen an overhaul of the news division’s flagship broadcast programs and multi-platform presence. In her nearly five-decade career at CBS News, which she began in 1972 when she worked a part-time desk assistant in the Washington bureau, Zirinsky has produced a wide variety of award-winning documentaries, programs and reporting on historic moments, including the Gulf War, the student uprising in Tiananmen Square, two White House administrations and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, among many others. Her time within the news division also included posts as an associate producer for “The CBS Morning News,” a producer on “The CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite,” and senior producer for “The CBS Evening News with Dan Rather.” She also served as the Executive Producer of 48 Hours for more than a decade. She is the recipient of numerous Emmys, the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award and the George Foster Peabody Award.
Members of the Steering Committee serve three-year terms. View a complete list of RCFP Steering Committee members.
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 Twitter or Instagram.