Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press launches Local Legal Initiative in Indiana
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press announced on Tuesday the launch of its Local Legal Initiative in Indiana to provide free legal support for local journalists and news organizations pursuing enterprise and investigative stories in their communities.
The Reporters Committee will hire an attorney to work in Indiana to provide direct pro bono legal support for Indiana reporters.
The Local Legal Initiative launched in 2019 thanks to a $10 million investment from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and is currently based in Colorado, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.
“Since launching the Local Legal Initiative four years ago, we have seen the meaningful difference that free, on-the-ground legal support can make for local journalists as they tell the stories that matter to their communities,” said Bruce D. Brown, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in a statement.
The Hoosier State Press Association (HSPA) submitted an initial proposal for an attorney in 2019 during the program's pilot phase and has continued to build support across the state.
The Reporters Committee told IndyStar the HSPA made a strong case and decided to launch in Indiana because of the changing media landscape.
The Lumina Foundation has provided anchor support for the Local Legal Initiative in Indiana.
"Our participation comes as part of the national Press Forward initiative to rebuild local news and information, especially for Black, Hispanic and Latino, immigrant and refugee, and low-income audiences who have not been served," said Kevin Corcoran, strategy director for Lumina. "We hope this will ensure the availability of public meetings and records for the benefit of every Hoosier.”
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While the initiative will be new to Indiana, the Reporters Committee attorneys have provided journalists with legal help in Indiana before.
Most recently, they worked with a coalition of six journalism and news organizations, including IndyStar, in filing a federal lawsuit to block the enforcement of an Indiana law that makes it a crime to approach within 25 feet of a police officer after being told to withdraw.
“Reporters Committee attorneys' longtime work on behalf of Indiana journalists and news outlets to push for greater government transparency and protect reporters' newsgathering rights has shown us that there are substantial opportunities to support and strengthen public interest reporting in the state," said Katie Townsend, deputy executive director and legal director for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
Katie Wiseman is a trending and breaking news intern at IndyStar. Contact her at klwiseman@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @itskatiewiseman.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Reporters Committee to hire an attorney for Indiana journalists
