"Legal organizations are adapting to a growing climate of hostility, offering new programs and resources to help journalists navigate emerging risks"
"At a time when attacks on press freedom are heightening, including from the White House and President Donald Trump himself, legal support for journalists is shifting to meet new challenges.
Over the five years of its existence, Lawyers for Reporters has provided pro bono legal assistance to local and mission-driven journalism organizations throughout the country. In that time, the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice initiative has had about 300 clients.
“They’re primarily reporting on their local communities,” said Kay Murray, managing attorney of Lawyers for Reporters, about the clients. “Some of them are subject matter specific. They cover things like education or housing policy and the like, and they cover the whole U.S.”
Eligibility for Lawyers for Reporters’ services is based on whether the organization is a nonprofit or an independently funded entity that can’t afford legal representation. Murray said the legal support organization tries to be very nimble to meet clients’ needs. And because Lawyers for Reporters prides itself on being full-service, that has meant adapting to a different climate — one where clients express entirely new fears."
Amaris Castillo reports for Poynter May 15, 2025.
SEE ALSO:
"With Comey Questioning, The Trump Administration Again Targets Speech" (Washington Post)
"College Newspapers Under Pressure As Immigration Fears Silence Sources" (Washington Post)
"How the Rich and Powerful Destroyed Free Speech" (The Nation)
"Pope Leo XIV Calls For Peace And Press Freedom In His First News Briefing" (NBC News)
"U.S. Press Freedom Falls To Historical Low" (Axios)
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