Lawyers for Reporters, a joint project of the Press Freedom Defense Fund, a program of First Look Institute, and the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice at the New York City Bar Association, marked a major milestone in providing local journalists with critical pro bono legal support. After only one year, Lawyers for Reporters now works with over 24 news organizations, disproportionately led by women and People of Color and covering racial justice, economic equity, community news, LGBTQ+ issues and other socially essential beats.
“Local news organizations are disappearing and with them civic awareness, government accountability, and democratic engagement,” said David Bralow of the Press Freedom Defense Fund and co-director of Lawyers for Reporters. “In providing key legal services at no cost, we are supporting these journalists and nascent news outlets as they build a new future for local journalism.”
Through Lawyers for Reporters, the 17 major law firms and over 50 lawyers have provided thousands of hours, worth more than $1 million in pro bono service. With this pro bono capacity, the project on a minimal budget has been able to aid local journalists with everything from defamation defense to nonprofit incorporation and a full range of organizational and operational matters.
“We have found clients all over the country pursuing innovative and socially-activist news-making, but needing a wide range of legal help, and appreciating it enormously,” said Cindy Moore, Lawyers for Reporters program manager. “How much we have been able to achieve is heart-warming and inspiring, especially given who these journalists are and what they are trying to do.”
These services are supporting a new generation of journalism entrepreneurs, helping them build sustainable local news businesses serving news deserts and underserved communities. The journalists Lawyers for Reporters serve bring diverse perspectives and experiences to their work providing quality news and information. They are rebuilding a decimated local news landscape that is bolder, more inclusive, and more trusted in their communities.
C. Zawadi Morris of BK Reader, a hyperlocal digital daily news source reporting on the art, culture, business and lifestyle of Brooklyn’s fastest-developing areas, including Bedford-Stuyvesant, Crown Heights, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Brownsville, East New York, Prospect Heights, Flatbush and Bushwick, commented about the help that she received from Lawyers for Reporters:
“They were knowledgeable, they were compassionate, they were professional, and they really made me feel like they were committed to helping me as an independent journalist…I can say unequivocally that having professional representation by Lawyers for Reporters was the reason I was able to focus keeping my business open and sustainable during one of the hardest times: 2020.”
