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Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press¶
Summary¶
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press is the leading U.S. pro bono legal services organization for journalists and newsrooms, providing representation, amicus support, and legal resources at no cost to protect First Amendment freedoms and newsgathering rights.
Verified Facts¶
- RCFP was founded in 1970 in response to government subpoenas seeking reporters' confidential sources.1
- The official what-we-do page describes RCFP as the leading pro bono legal services organization for journalists and newsrooms in the U.S.1
- RCFP operates a 24/7 Legal Hotline for media law and press freedom questions, including public records, subpoena threats, protest coverage, and journalist arrests.2
- RCFP attorneys pursue litigation on First Amendment, freedom of information, and court access issues.1
- RCFP files friend-of-the-court briefs in cases affecting newsgathering and publication rights.1
- RCFP publishes legal guides and advances policy priorities including anti-SLAPP protections and federal source protections.1
- Since its founding, no reporter has paid for RCFP's help in defending First Amendment rights.1
- The official contact page lists phone 202-795-9300, general inquiries info@rcfp.org, media inquiries media@rcfp.org, and mailing address P.O. Box 34176, Washington, D.C. 20043.2
Public Contact Information¶
- Website: https://www.rcfp.org/
- What We Do: https://www.rcfp.org/what-we-do/
- Contact: https://www.rcfp.org/contact/
- Legal Hotline form: https://www.rcfp.org/hotline/ (use hotline form rather than general contact for legal help)
Relevance to Open Source and Software Companies¶
RCFP is primarily oriented toward journalists and newsrooms, but its amicus practice, anti-SLAPP advocacy, and work at the intersection of technology and the First Amendment are relevant when software companies or security researchers face retaliation for publishing investigative findings or when platform policies affect newsgathering.
Relationships¶
ORG-RCFPcitesSRC-RCFP-WHAT-WE-DO.ORG-RCFPcitesSRC-RCFP-CONTACT.
Sources¶
SRC-RCFP-WHAT-WE-DO: Reporters Committee What We Do Page.SRC-RCFP-CONTACT: Reporters Committee Contact Page.
Research Debt¶
- Document technology-related amicus briefs and litigation.
- Clarify whether RCFP accepts matters involving independent researchers or security disclosures.
- Review per-fact footnote-to-source mapping; multiple sources are cited on this page.
Document metadata¶
- Last verified:
2026-07-04
-
SRC-RCFP-WHAT-WE-DO— Reporters Committee What We Do Page. Official source; review reliability tier. ↩↩↩↩↩↩ -
SRC-RCFP-CONTACT— Reporters Committee Contact Page. Official organizational record. ↩↩