“A cantankerous press, an obstinate press, a ubiquitous press must be suffered by those in authority in order to preserve the even greater values of freedom of expression and the right of the people to know.” 

—Judge Murray Gurfein, Pentagon Papers case, June 19, 1971

Protecting and defending press freedom in the 21st century

At Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF), we build secure communications tools used by many of the world’s top investigative news organizations. We teach journalists how to keep themselves and their sources safe in the digital age. We monitor and document virtually every press freedom violation in the U.S. And we engage in advocacy to defend the public’s right to know. In defense of democracy, we protect press freedom.

FPF is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 2012.

Our Work

We accomplish our mission in several ways:

Advocacy. In the face of threats to journalists' rights — such as an illegal arrest, a covert surveillance order, or legislation that impinges on press freedoms — we mobilize our allies and the public to bring tangible change at the local and national levels.

Digital Security Trainings. FPF digital security experts teach journalists, filmmakers, and students how to navigate online threats, curtail surveillance, and keep their sources out of harm's way. More than 8,000 journalists across the globe have attended at least one of our trainings in the last 5 years.

SecureDrop. We build SecureDrop, an open-source submission system for journalists and sources to exchange information anonymously. It’s used by large and small newsrooms all over the world in the fight to make governments more transparent and accountable.

U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. Our reporters systematically document press freedom violations in the U.S. — from assaults and arrests of journalists to equipment seized and subpoenas seeking protected materials — to create a one-of-a-kind database that informs advocacy, legal efforts, and academic research.