Building legal resilience across our portfolio: A new partnership with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

Announcements

Strong legal infrastructure is essential to the sustainability of nonprofit news. As local news organizations take on ambitious reporting and grow their operations, they’re encountering a steady stream of legal questions — from records access to contracts to content review — that can stretch already limited capacity.

We’ve heard this clearly from teams across our portfolio: legal support isn’t just a backstop in moments of crisis. It’s a vital part of building resilient, future-ready organizations.

To help meet this need, we’ve partnered with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP) to expand access to tailored legal services for the nonprofit newsrooms we support. Through this collaboration, RCFP is working directly with organizations in our portfolio to assess legal needs, build preventative systems and strengthen day-to-day operations.

With support from the American Journalism Project, RCFP has hired Audrey Tanenbaum, an attorney dedicated to supporting the organizations in our portfolio. Working as part of RCFP’s ProJourn team, Audrey will conduct one-on-one legal consultations, lead trainings, and offer templates and guidance.

“This partnership is an investment in the sustainability and resilience of nonprofit journalism,” said Sarabeth Berman, CEO of the American Journalism Project. “We are committed to ensuring that the organizations serving local communities have the legal tools and protections they need to pursue accountability journalism and thrive.”

This effort builds on RCFP’s Local Legal Initiative and ProJourn programs to ensure newsrooms receive support that’s aligned, proactive, and responsive to their unique needs. Several organizations in our portfolio have already benefited and will continue to benefit from these services. 

“The revitalization of local news is increasingly being led by nonprofit newsrooms,” said Reporters Committee President Bruce Brown. “This partnership allows us to build the legal infrastructure these organizations need to do their work with confidence — and to ensure they’re protected as they serve their communities with impactful, independent journalism.”

This partnership is one part of our broader commitment to investing in shared support that strengthens nonprofit newsrooms across the country. We’re grateful to RCFP for their partnership.