Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

@rcfp.org is on the ground in Indianapolis for #NICAR26! Find us to chat about our free legal help for journalists and newsrooms, and check out our sessions on the schedule 👇

Reporters Committee hires attorney in Mississippi to defend freedom of press Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has placed a staff attorney in Mississippi to provide local news outlets free legal assistance.

Reporters Committee hires attorney in Mississippi to defend freedom of press

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has placed a staff attorney in Mississippi to provide local news outlets free legal assistance.

I'm biased, of course, but it's hard to imagine a nonprofit program having a more substantial impact on the news industry than @rcfp.org's Local Legal Initiative. This program has shown time and again that local investigative journalism can thrive when reporters have access to free legal support.

RCFP expands free legal support to local newsrooms in Gulf states and upper Midwest Expansion nearly doubles the Local Legal Initiative, building on six years of success supporting local journalism

At a time when local journalists need free legal support more than ever before, @rcfp.org is so excited to kick off this next phase of the Local Legal Initiative.

Learn more about our work or get in touch:

The expansion of the Local Legal Initiative is fueled by a wide range of incredible partners, including Press Forward, the McKnight Foundation, and @joycefdn.bsky.social.

Thank you so much to our generous donors for your commitment to local news and the public's right to know.

A blue graphic with headshots of two Reporters Committee attorneys: On left, the Local Legal Initiative Attorney for Louisiana Virginia Hamrick; on right, the Local Legal Initiative Attorney for Mississippi Andrew Coffman.

Meet @rcfp.org's newest attorneys:

➡️ In New Orleans, Virginia Hamrick joins as the LLI attorney for Louisiana.

➡️ In Tupelo, Andrew Coffman joins as the LLI attorney for Mississippi.

🔜 Info on Michigan and Minnesota is coming later this year.

Details: www.rcfp.org/local-legal-...

Local Legal Initiative | Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press The Local Legal Initiative provides legal support to journalists across the U.S. pursuing enterprise and investigative stories in their communities.

Since launching in 2020, Local Legal Initiative attorneys have pushed for greater government accountability, pried loose public records, and defended journalists' 1A rights in court.

Learn more about the program and the positive impact its had in states across the US:

A quote from Reporters Committee attorney Eric Feder: 'We’re thrilled to welcome Virginia and Andrew to the Reporters Committee, and to build upon our previous work in these four states with dedicated, on-the-ground support. With each new attorney we add to the Local Legal Initiative, the journalists and newsrooms we serve get stronger and the journalism they produce gets bolder. That’s a huge win for the communities that rely on their reporting to stay informed.'

“With each new attorney we add to the Local Legal Initiative, the journalists and newsrooms we serve get stronger and the journalism they produce gets bolder,” said Eric Feder, director of the LLI.

“That’s a huge win for the communities that rely on their reporting to stay informed.”

The Local Legal Initiative's expansion comes in response to requests from journalists and news outlets in each state, who cited increased legal roadblocks to their reporting and a lack of government transparency.

RCFP expands free legal support to local newsrooms in Gulf states and upper Midwest Expansion nearly doubles the Local Legal Initiative, building on six years of success supporting local journalism

🎉 Big news for local news: @rcfp.org is expanding our Local Legal Initiative to Louisiana, Mississippi, Michigan, and Minnesota!

This nearly doubles the size of the LLI, adding four in-state attorneys who will provide legal help to journalists pursuing ambitious stories in their communities.

NICAR 2026 schedule | March 4-7, 2026 | Indianapolis Welcome to the NICAR 2026 schedule! Browse sessions, speakers, sponsors and exhibitors.

On March 7 from 5-6 pm, join @rcfp.org's Kris Cundiff to learn five practical strategies for successful public records requests.

Details: schedules.ire.org/nicar-2026/#...

NICAR 2026 schedule | March 4-7, 2026 | Indianapolis Welcome to the NICAR 2026 schedule! Browse sessions, speakers, sponsors and exhibitors.

On March 7 from 9-10 am, join @rcfp.org's Kris Cundiff and Eric Feder for a media lawyer Q&A geared specifically for student journalists.

Details: schedules.ire.org/nicar-2026/#...

NICAR 2026 schedule | March 4-7, 2026 | Indianapolis Welcome to the NICAR 2026 schedule! Browse sessions, speakers, sponsors and exhibitors.

On March 5 from 10:15-11:15 am, join @rcfp.org's Gunita Singh to pick up practical tips on obtaining data and records for reporting on immigration issues.

Details: schedules.ire.org/nicar-2026/#...

A dark graphic with white text for NICAR26 in Indianapolis, with checkered racing flags.

👋 Attending @ire.org's #NICAR26 conference later this week?

@rcfp.org attorneys will be participating in three sessions that will educate journalists about their legal rights, how to effectively craft public records requests, and more.

Links below:

Knight Institute, Reporters Committee, and FIRE Urge Supreme Court to Reject Dragnet Geofence Warrants

NEWS: @knightcolumbia.org, @rcfp.org, @thefireorg.bsky.social filed a brief urging the Supreme Court to hold that geofence warrants violate the Fourth Amendment, as dragnet location-data searches threaten #privacy, #freespeech, political and religious association. knightcolumbia.org/content/knig...

Judge rejects DOJ request to search Washington Post reporter’s electronic devices The court “made the right call — and the constitutionally appropriate one — by taking it upon itself to review the material,” said RCFP’s Gabe Rottman.

ICYMI: A judge blocked the DOJ from searching a Washington Post reporter’s electronic devices, which the FBI seized in a raid on her home.

"[The court] made the right call — and the constitutionally appropriate one," said @rcfp.org's Gabe Rottman.

Oklahoma Watch sues OK City Police Department for incident report Represented by an RCFP attorney, Oklahoma Watch and reporter Jennifer Palmer accuse the police of violating the Open Records Act.

With free legal support from an @rcfp.org attorney, @oklahomawatch.bsky.social accused the Oklahoma City Police Department of violating the state's Open Records Act for refusing to turn over an incident report.

RCFP urges federal district court in Pennsylvania to lift restrictions on accessing immigration records A federal court is unlawfully prohibiting journalists from copying immigration records at the courthouse. The practice must stop.

As immigration enforcement operations ramp up in Pennsylvania, @rcfp.org is urging a federal court in the state to rescind restrictions on accessing immigration records so that the press and public can more easily monitor the government’s actions.

Judge rejects DOJ request to search Washington Post reporter’s electronic devices The court “made the right call — and the constitutionally appropriate one — by taking it upon itself to review the material,” said RCFP’s Gabe Rottman.

Important piece by @rcfp.org on why a federal judge's ruling on the search of @WashingtonPost.com reporter @hannahnatanson.bsky.social's computer is a win for press freedom. www.rcfp.org/natanson-pos...

The Guardian: Most immigrants targeted for deportation in 2025 had no criminal history, data reveal The data, which The Guardian obtained with free legal support from RCFP attorneys, undercuts the government’s claim that it is targeting “dangerous criminals.”

A new @theguardian.com analysis of ICE records reveals that most people targeted for deportation for the first time in 2025 have no criminal history.

The news outlet’s reporting is based on data it obtained through a FOIA lawsuit with free legal support from @rcfp.org attorneys.

RCFP supports Stanford Daily’s First Amendment lawsuit against Trump administration Allowing the government to wield removal as a tool to punish protected speech would chill newsgathering and reporting in the public interest.

In a friend-of-the-court brief, @rcfp.org supported The Stanford Daily’s First Amendment lawsuit against the Trump administration, which aims to protect the rights of noncitizen journalists — including those at student publications.

Legal group accuses University of Central Oklahoma of free speech infringement with print shutdown • Oklahoma Voice Leaders of the state’s third-largest university have engaged in “egregiously anti-free speech conduct” in an effort to control media coverage by ending print operations of the student newspaper.

@rcfp.org's Leslie Briggs criticized the University of Central Oklahoma’s attempts to silence The Vista, its student-run newspaper.

Briggs said the school engaged in “egregiously anti-free speech conduct” by ending the paper's print operations.

RCFP attorney represents Indiana Daily Student editors in censorship fight An RCFP attorney representing the Indiana Daily Student’s editors calls the school’s efforts to silence the newspaper “ill-advised” and "unconstitutional."

@rcfp.org attorney Kris Cundiff represented student journalists in pushing back against Indiana University’s efforts to censor the school’s student newspaper,
@idsnews.bsky.social.

Following widespread pressure, the school backtracked.

Graphic for Student Press Freedom Day 2026 with a comic image of a hand grabbing a pen; underneath text reads 'We stand with student journalists. They serve an essential role in their communities, even as censorship, intimidation, and legal threats escalate.'

@rcfp.org is a proud partner of #StudentPressFreedom Day and stands with student journalists today and all year round.

Here are 3⃣ recent examples of how we've supported student journalists and their First Amendment rights 👇

This year, #StudentPressFreedom Day highlights "Resilience in Action" — celebrating the ways that student journalists push forward and raise their voices even as censorship, intimidation, and legal threats escalate.

Student Press Freedom Day Join the Student Press Law Center and the student journalism community as we fight for press freedom!

🎉 Today is #StudentPressFreedom Day, a national moment to honor the important role of student journalists and advocate for their First Amendment rights.

Learn more via @splc.org: studentpressfreedom.org

A quote graphic from the Reporters Committee's Gabe Rottman: 'The court had a choice between carefully protecting a reporter’s confidential sources and simply letting the government rifle through Natanson’s devices. It made the right call — and the constitutionally appropriate one — by taking it upon itself to review the material and in ordering that information unrelated to the underlying investigation will be returned to Natanson. The judge was also clearly frustrated by the government’s failure to disclose the protections due Natanson under the Privacy Protection Act, an omission that may cloud this case going forward.'

The ruling is a win for Natanson, The Post, and press freedom.

“The court had a choice between carefully protecting a reporter’s confidential sources and simply letting the government rifle through Natanson’s devices,” said @rcfp.org's Gabe Rottman. “It made the right call.”

Judge rejects DOJ request to search Washington Post reporter’s electronic devices The court “made the right call — and the constitutionally appropriate one — by taking it upon itself to review the material,” said RCFP’s Gabe Rottman.

New: A judge blocked the Justice Department from searching Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson's electronic devices, which the FBI seized during a raid on her home, ruling that the court would conduct the search instead.

Work with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Check out the full-time jobs, fellowships and internships available at the Reporters Committee.

🚨 We're hiring two positions to expand @rcfp.org's Local Legal Initiative, which provides journalists free legal services to pursue investigative stories in their communities.

➡️ Minnesota LLI attorney
➡️ LLI staff attorney

View the positions and apply:

Graphic for Student Press Freedom Day 2026 with a comic image of a hand grabbing a pen; underneath text reads 'We're a proud 2026 partner of Student Press Freedom Day!'

On Thursday, #StudentPressFreedom Day will highlight the powerful reporting of student journalists and their fight to secure their free press rights.

Learn more via @splc.org: studentpressfreedom.org