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Impact Publications
Lawyer Impact Survey 2021
About the survey In 2021, we carried out our second Lawyer Impact Survey to assess the impact of our support to lawyers. We support lawyers with both our emergency defence and our strategic litigation programmes. Through these programmes, we offer pro bono legal support, as well as financial support for lawyers in order to cover…
A Year in Review: Our 2021 Annual Report
The report Media Defence has launched its 2021 annual report, marking the end of a pivotal year for freedom of expression. The year 2021 presented us with unprecedented challenges. In response to their work, journalists faced abusive lawsuits, smear campaigns and an increasingly unsafe environment, both online and off. Over the last couple of years,…
Learning Report 2021
At Media Defence, we publish an annual 'learning report'. This report compiles the variety of internal and external evaluations we undertake each year in order to understand the effectiveness and relevance of our programmes. We also do this to explore the impact of legal defence for journalists, in an increasingly contracting space for media freedom…
Journalist Impact Survey 2021
“I would have been jailed for a year as I was unable to pay.” Journalist supported by Media Defence in 2021. In 2021, we carried out our fifth annual Journalist Impact Survey to look at the longer-term impact of our support on our primary beneficiaries: journalists. We designed our Journalist Impact Survey to understand the…
Lawyer Impact Survey 2020
In 2020, we carried out our first ever Lawyer Impact Survey to assess the impact of our support to lawyers through our emergency defence and strategic litigation programmes. Through these programmes, lawyers are offered financial support to cover their legal fees and pro bono legal support. Our legal support is based on their needs and…
A Year in Review: Our 2020 Annual Report
The Report Media Defence has launched its 2020 annual report, marking the end of a pivotal year for freedom of expression. COVID-19 presented us with unprecedented challenges. As we moved our lives online, and grappled with mis-information, authoritarian regimes used the crisis to clamp down on dissent and scrutiny. Yet, in spite of these crackdowns,…
Media Defence has been working to support journalists facing legal threats since 2008. We value the importance of learning and improvement, and we dedicate time and resources to monitoring and evaluating our projects and programmes in order to learn, improve and grow. We strive to ensure our evaluations are robust, efficient, useful, accurate and innovative.
Since 2008
We have provided legal help to hundreds of journalists and media outlets around the world.

92 cases received technical legal support in 2021
In addition to financial aid, 92 of our cases received technical legal support.
66% case success rate
To date, we have a 66% case success rate, and 80% of the journalists we help continue to report after their case has ended.
466 cases in 61 countries
In 2021, we supported 466 cases in 61 countries around the world.
66% case success rate
To date, we have a 66% case success rate, and 80% of the journalists we help continue to report after their case has ended.
466 cases in 61 countries
In 2021, we supported 466 cases in 61 countries around the world.
466 cases in 61 countries
In 2021, we supported 466 cases in 61 countries around the world.
98% of the journalists we help would recommend our support.
To date, our legal support has helped journalists avoid over 300 years of detention and nearly £500 million in damages.
80% of the journalists we help continued to report.