Press freedom faces unprecedented challenges today — including a coordinated effort to undermine the media’s essential watchdog role. This goes far beyond traditional tensions between government and press. We now confront the potential weaponization of federal regulations, surging defamation litigation, and increasingly aggressive threats to journalists — from legal intimidation to dangerous digital harassment like doxing and swatting — even during routine reporting activities.
Media organizations face a stark reality: Their fundamental ability to gather news and expose truth is under attack.
Our Mission
The Press Freedom Defense Fund’s mission is to be the go-to resource for newsrooms when trouble is on the horizon.
We are practicing journalists, security experts, source protection specialists, and newsroom lawyers. We’re channeling our experiences into advising news organizations and journalists with all the opsec, operational, and legal tools in our toolkit — particularly for smaller newsrooms that don’t have risk-mitigation infrastructure.
We understand the challenges these newsrooms face in a very tangible way.
What We Offer
The Press Freedom Defense Fund provides critical support to news organizations and journalists facing unprecedented threats. We offer industrywide training programs that address the rapidly evolving threat landscape facing reporters, with practical, hands-on guidance on topics including source protection, covering protests safely, protecting sensitive information during raids, digital security, document retention, and legal compliance. Our trainings are highly attuned to current threats and provide granular, day-to-day guidance that newsrooms can implement immediately.
Through our partnership with the Vance Center’s Lawyers for Reporters, we connect newsrooms with comprehensive legal support through our joint Compliance Assurance Program, while we provide operational security expertise to help organizations address their vulnerabilities. We use The Intercept’s risk-assessment model to inform this work and ensure it meets the real-world needs of journalists under pressure.
We also advance press freedom through legal advocacy, leading coalitions of media outlets in filing amicus briefs in precedent-setting cases that defend First Amendment rights and protect journalists’ ability to do their work. Throughout all our efforts, we emphasize proactive protection: developing resources and strategies to help prevent legal and security threats before they escalate, while responding rapidly when journalists face immediate danger.
Our services: