How to build a newsroom plan for responding to First Amendment threats

A Poynter guide to the documents and policies you need to gather and communicate

Last month, Poynter published a guide to help journalists respond immediately to legal threats and protect their ability to report independently.

This next guide in our series is designed to help leaders prepare in advance for their newsrooms to do journalism when First Amendment rights are at stake—which, incidentally, is a lot like building coverage plans before a breaking news story escalates quickly. What you do now determines how well you’ll respond when it really matters.

The current climate in the U.S. is a heads-up to all journalism leaders to assemble the information and resources you’ll need if equipment is seized, your reporters are arrested, or they’re in the field covering violence or unrest.