Reporters Committee, Pulitzer Center Team Up To Offer Free Legal Help to AI Fellows

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press is partnering with the Pulitzer Center to offer pro bono legal support to the Center’s first cohort of Artificial Intelligence Accountability Fellows.

Ten journalists from four continents are pursuing stories of local and global scope that touch on themes crucial to equity and human rights, such as AI in hiring, surveillance, social welfare, policing, migration, and border control.

Reporters Committee attorneys will work with the journalists to vet stories before they are published to reduce legal risk, and to provide other pro bono legal assistance related to newsgathering and First Amendment issues.

“We’re thrilled to partner with the Pulitzer Center on its new initiative supporting journalists reporting on the impact of artificial intelligence and surveillance in their communities,” said Katie Townsend, deputy executive director and legal director for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. “Our attorneys are looking forward to providing the AI Fellows with much-needed legal support to help them pursue and publish this important work with greater confidence.”

“Reporting on the impact of AI technologies, especially in marginalized and vulnerable communities, is urgent and foundational to democracy,” said Marina Walker Guevara, the Pulitzer Center’s executive editor. “We are grateful that the AI Fellows will have the support of the Reporters Committee’s world-class and dedicated attorneys as they pursue their stories.”

The Pulitzer Center empowers a global community of journalists and media outlets to deepen engagement with critical underreported issues, bridge divides, and spur change. It supports more than 200 journalism projects annually that are published in local, regional, and global outlets. The Center’s K-12 and university programs connect journalists and stories with students and teachers, fostering critical thinking and media literacy in classrooms.

Through the AI Accountability Network, the Pulitzer Center seeks to address the knowledge imbalance on artificial intelligence that exists in the journalism industry, especially at the local level, and to build the capacity of journalists to report on this fast-evolving and underreported topic with skill, nuance, and impact.

The Reporters Committee regularly files friend-of-the-court briefs, and its attorneys represent journalists and news organizations in court cases that involve First Amendment freedoms, the newsgathering rights of journalists, and access to public information. Stay up-to-date on RCFP’s work by signing up for its monthly newsletter and following RCFP on Twitter or Instagram.

For media inquiries, contact the Reporters Committee at [email protected], or Sarah Swan at the Pulitzer Center, [email protected].