Reporters Committee receives $300,000 from Ford Foundation

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press is thrilled to announce new support from the Ford Foundation. The Ford Foundation is committing $300,000 over two years toward RCFP’s work to provide legal services for journalists and news organizations.

“We’re grateful to the Ford Foundation for its generous grant that will allow us to add more capacity to offer essential services to journalists at a crucial time for press freedom,” said RCFP Steering Committee Chair David Boardman.

Since 1970, Reporters Committee has provided free legal resources, support, and advocacy to protect the First Amendment and freedom of information rights of journalists and news organizations.

“Journalists face a more complex landscape than ever before, but the responsibility they carry to ensure an informed citizenry hasn’t lessened one bit,” said Ford Foundation Program Officer Barbara Raab.” With each passing day, the need for RCFP’s intervention in critical cases for journalists becomes more urgent as they work to secure access to open records and protect press freedoms which are central to our democracy.”

In addition to direct legal representation, Reporters Committee also maintains a 24/7 Legal Defense Hotline for reporters and media lawyers, amicus briefs and letters of support in cases where the perspective of the journalism community is valuable, and a number of free, online guides and resources 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.