The context in which the media operates is forecast to worsen. Insecurity and populism spread, governments copy restrictive and abusive practices from others, and new threats such as online harassment emerge. The COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated this downward spiral. Attacks on press freedom, including the use of emergency regulations to target those who inform the public, have proliferated around the world.
Journalists have been arrested, detained, threatened and assaulted for reporting on the pandemic or criticising their government’s approaches to it. More and more journalists are facing legal threats alone, without the protection of resourced media houses or the financial ability to pay for a good lawyer.
We can’t currently meet the ever-increasing demand. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, we anticipate that less funding will be available over the next few years, resulting in unexpected funding gaps. That’s why we need your support. Together, we can defend independent media across the world. You can help us in two ways, make a financial donation or donate your time.
Help us defend independent media.
With high quality legal representation, journalists can continue their critical work to keep us informed and hold power to account during the crisis.
£300 helps us provide pro bono legal advice
£1,500 is often enough to keep a journalist out of prison
£3,000 enables us to take a strategic case to improve the climate within which the media operate
£25,000 supports a national media defence centre for a whole year
Donate your time: pro bono support helps us take landmark press freedom cases and train lawyers
If you would like to donate, please click here.
If you would like to provide pro-bono legal support, please click here.
Read more about our work here.
Recent News
LPM Lintas: Indonesian student magazine shut down after reporting on sexual harassment investigation
At the State Institute of Islamic Studies (IAIN) in Ambon, Indonesia, student magazine LPM Lintas was shut down in March 2022 after publishing the results of an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment at the university. The investigation relied on the testimony of dozens of students. The university’s rector subsequently issued a decree to close […]
Claudia Julieta Duque: Ex agente del DAS condenado por torturas a periodista colombiana
Durante años, la periodista Claudia Julieta Duque fue sometida a una prolongada campaña de tortura psicológica a manos de la extinta policía secreta colombiana, el Departamento Administrativo de Seguridad (DAS). Desde 2001, Duque se enfrentó a una persecución implacable, desde el secuestro hasta la incesante invasión de su intimidad, pasando por la vigilancia ilegal de […]
Claudia Duque: Former DAS agent convicted for torture of Colombian journalist
For over two decades journalist Claudia Duque was subjected to a prolonged campaign of psychological torture at the hands of the now-defunct Colombian secret police, the Department of Security (DAS). Since 2001, Duque faced relentless persecution — from kidnapping to the ceaseless invasion of her privacy, encompassing illegal surveillance of phone calls, emails, and bank […]