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Areas Of Practice

Public Interest Reporting

The Public Interest Reporting Program upholds transparency and the free flow of information, and provides legal support, guidance, and defense to independent media outlets and organizations engaged in public interest reporting to hold officials and institutions accountable. 

Recognizing that a free and independent press and access to information are essential for holding power to account, the Vance Center’s Public Interest Reporting Program directly addresses threats to independent journalism and organizations providing citizens with the facts they need to make informed decisions.  

Our clients include the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), A Culture of Safety (ACOS) Alliance, Transparency International, Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism, El Faro, Bellingcat, and Kyiv Independent, as well as the ever-growing Lawyers for Reporters roster of more than 190 U.S.-based clients.  The program coordinates two innovative initiatives that support independent reporting around the world:  

  • Lawyers for Reporters, serving local and mission-driven journalism in the United States 
  • Reporters Shield, an independent nonprofit membership program, launched by the Vance Center and OCCRP, which provides legal defense against defamation and related content-based threats and claims to public interest reporting organizations worldwide. 

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Clients and Partners

A Culture of Safety (ACOS) Alliance
Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism
Transparency International
Bellingcat
El Faro
Frontline Freelance Register
Media Development Investment Fund
Kyiv Independent
The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP)

New Projects

Exiled Media

With support from the Global Media Defence Fund, the Vance Center provides pro bono legal support to journalists forced to change their locations or organizational structures to address threats to their safety and freedom to report....

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Exiled Media

With support from the Global Media Defence Fund, the Vance Center provides pro bono legal support to journalists forced to change their locations or organizational structures to address threats to their safety and freedom to report. The Vance Center regularly receives requests from journalists and independent media organizations for legal assistance to help them respond to threats from governments or powerful individuals in response to published reporting. Through our rapid, direct legal assistance, with co-counsel support from law firm partners across the globe, we provide these journalists with guidance, resources, and support to continue their reporting.  

The Vance Center provides these organizations with legal assistance including:  

  • Defense in defamation and  privacy cases 
  • Pre-publication review and assessment of legal risks from  reporting  
  • Forming legal entities in the U.S. and filing for tax exempt status 
  • Advice on corporate structure and employment practices  
  • Other issues as needed. 

Our growing list of clients includes reporting outlets from Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Mexico, Russia, Venezuela, and other locations. 

New Projects

Exiled Media

With support from the Global Media Defence Fund, the Vance Center provides pro bono legal support to journalists forced to change their locations or organizational structures to address threats to their safety and freedom to report....

Read more
Close

Exiled Media

With support from the Global Media Defence Fund, the Vance Center provides pro bono legal support to journalists forced to change their locations or organizational structures to address threats to their safety and freedom to report. The Vance Center regularly receives requests from journalists and independent media organizations for legal assistance to help them respond to threats from governments or powerful individuals in response to published reporting. Through our rapid, direct legal assistance, with co-counsel support from law firm partners across the globe, we provide these journalists with guidance, resources, and support to continue their reporting.  

The Vance Center provides these organizations with legal assistance including:  

  • Defense in defamation and  privacy cases 
  • Pre-publication review and assessment of legal risks from  reporting  
  • Forming legal entities in the U.S. and filing for tax exempt status 
  • Advice on corporate structure and employment practices  
  • Other issues as needed. 

Our growing list of clients includes reporting outlets from Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Mexico, Russia, Venezuela, and other locations. 

We’ve called on the Vance Center as a trusted counsellor many times over the last year, often at the last minute, and it always provided the help we sought, including law firms in Europe and the United States to protect and defend us and our partners from legal troubles and expense.

Drew Sullivan , Co-Executive Director, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project