This year we reached more than 60 newsrooms and public-interest publishers across 36 countries.
They are part of a shared legal defence effort to ensure investigative journalism is fighting back against legal intimidation.
Our Reporters Shield 2025 Annual Report, released today, documents the growing scale of legal threats facing journalism, and the tangible impact of collective legal protection.
“For every editor that thinks they will never get sued, you might not have been sued yet,” writes Chairman Drew Sullivan in the opening message. “If you’re publishing reporting that matters, you will be.”
Figures headlining the report reveal that 60% of Reporters Shield members have already faced SLAPPs or other legal threats.
By pooling resources through a mutual defence fund and providing access to international legal expertise, the report will demonstrate how we’re helping ensure that journalists can continue to report without fear of being sued into silence.
What’s inside the 2025 Annual Report
The report offers:
- A snapshot of Reporters Shield’s global membership and the legal risks they face
- Real-world case studies showing how legal support enabled publication
- Data from the 2025 members survey, including confidence and satisfaction levels
- An overview of how Reporters Shield works across Prevent, Respond and Defend
- Reflections from members on what legal backing means for their reporting
The report also sets out Reporters Shield’s ambitions for the year ahead, outlines our work with global industry partners and the collective action we intend to take to defend against increasing hostility towards journalists holding powerful actors to account.
📄 Read the full 2025 Annual Report
🔗 Learn more about Reporters Shield