Media Defence

History

Media Defence was founded in 2008 in the context of a sharply deteriorating media freedom. It originated from a programme of work by the Open Society Initiative (OSI). Faced with an ever-growing demand for media legal defence services which neither they nor others could respond to, the OSI and the Open Society Justice Initiative decided to set up a new entity which would have the capacity to defend not just headline-grabbing media freedom cases, but to respond to the constant barrage of law suits against independent media.

Geographic scope / network

Global

Key actions and/or campaigns

Emergency Defence:

Media Defence ensures quality legal representation is available to journalists by paying for legal fees, connecting them to a lawyer if they don’t have one, and providing that lawyer with technical legal support. We also ensure that journalists have access to legal remedies when their right to freedom of expression has been violated, for instance if they have become victims of violence or harassment.

Strategic Litigation:

Media Defence takes on strategic cases to challenge unjust laws used to silence journalists and to ensure the law is used to protect rather than persecute them. We seek out cases that offer an opportunity for systemic change (for instance changing a problematic law or practice) that will benefit media freedom.

Capacity Building:

Media Defence builds local legal capacity with a view to providing journalists around the world with an opportunity to access the best possible legal defence. We do this through training lawyers and funding local legal centres that can represent journalists free of charge.

Key outputs

· Emergency Support to journalists in need, both financial and legal support from Media Defence’s in-house legal team

· Undertake strategic cases to improve the legal environment in which the media work and to secure remedies following violations of their rights.

· Offer financial support to lawyers in Media Defence’s network to undertake strategic cases which improve the press freedom environment

· Provide legal support and international legal standards to lawyers litigating cases

· Provide grants and technical support to National Media Defence Centres to enable them to provide free, high quality legal support directly to journalists and media outlets in their countries.

· Train lawyers in international freedom of expression standards and develop networks of lawyers who are able to litigate on these issues

· Bring together networks of lawyers to discuss key issues in litigating in freedom of expression, and provide support for international collaboration and learning.

· Manage day-to-day operations of the Legal Network for Journalists at Risk.

Methodology of key outputs

Financial grants and legal support are provided to a network of lawyers and journalists who apply for support. National Media Defence Centres receive financial support and capacity building activities. Lawyers attend litigation surgeries to build networks, develop case strategies and discuss developing themes in litigating freedom of expression.

https://www.mediadefence.org/get-help/  

Key Priorities for next 2 years

Media Defence will continue to provide emergency legal defence to journalists and media organisations globally;

Increase and deepen the support we offer to our partners, enhancing the availability of quality legal defence for journalists around the world and;

Continue to pursue high-impact strategic litigation to win landmark cases, clarifying or changing laws, bringing them in-line with international standards on freedom of expression.