Vance Center Executive Director Alex Papachristou and AfroLA founder Dana Amihere during a panel discussion at INN Days in San Diego, June 12, 2024. Photo credit: Fabiola Lopez On June 12, Papachristou moderated a panel at the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) Days conference entitled “Publishing News? Then Yes, You Need a Lawyer.” During the session, he presented the work of Lawyers for Reporters and engaged in dialogue with Dana Amihere, founder of AfroLA, a nonprofit digital news outlet that covers greater Los Angeles through the lens of the Black community, and a longtime LFR client. Amihere described AfroLA’s recent investigative... read more
Post tagged in "public interest reporting"
Vance Center Recognizes 7 Firms at 2024 Michael Cooper Celebration of International Pro Bono Excellence
Posted on May 20, 2024On May 7, the Vance Center hosted its ninth annual Celebration of International Pro Bono Excellence, recognizing the pro bono achievements of seven firms. read more
Vance Center Joins Panels at International Journalism Festival
Posted on April 24, 2024Vance Center Executive Director Alexander Papachristou (center) speaks during a panel introducing safety clinics for journalists on the first day of the International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Italy. Photo credit: Diego Figone/IJF On April 18, Vance Center client the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) organized a panel, “How to Negotiate Hacked and Leaked Data,” examining the practical, ethical, and legal challenges of reporting on hacked and leaked datasets. The panel, moderated by ICIJ director Gerard Ryle, featured Juliette Garside, deputy business editor of The Guardian, journalist and technologist Micah Lee, and Papachristou. Papachristou likened investigating in the so-called dark... read more
2024 Brings New Program Structure for the Vance Center
Posted on March 5, 2024The Vance Center is pleased to announce that 2024 has brought exciting changes to our programmatic structure. As the world changes and global developments create new opportunities – and risks – for pro bono work, international human rights and access to justice, we are evolving to keep pace with those changes. Our capacity to respond to the needs and requests of our clients and partners is fundamental to our mission: we go where we’re needed. To reflect the nature of our current work, the Vance Center has shifted several elements of our programmatic structure. As of 2024, the Good Governance... read more
Our Year in Review: 2023 at the Vance Center
Posted on January 5, 2024Upholding Core Elements of Democratic Governance An Independent Judiciary: Working closely with the Latin American Federation of Judges (FLAM) and other national and regional partners, the Latin America Policy Program continued to call out threats to judicial independence and support judges in asserting their key role as defenders of democracy. Our actions included a thematic hearing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) on threats to judicial independence, publishing country-level assessments of judicial independence in seven countries, and continuing to pursue justice for exiled Guatemalan judge Erika Aifán. Spotlight: Inter-American Dialogue on Judicial Independence The IACHR hearing inspired an... read more
Reporters Shield Admits Inaugural Members
Posted on January 18, 2024In December and January, Reporters Shield admitted the first group of independent investigative news outlets as official members. As members of Reporters Shield, these news organizations will receive support and services, such as pre-publication review of qualified stories, and will be eligible to receive legal defense and assistance to defend against eligible legal threats and lawsuits. To date, Reporters Shield, an initiative of the Vance Center and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), has received dozens of applications from prospective members around the world, indicating a significant need and demand for its work. Reporters Shield staff will continue reviewing... read more