FIRE helped NHPR protect its freelancer in difficult reporting conditions on the winning story.
Freelancer protected with aid of FIRE
legal team; embattled team earns honors
A New Hampshire Public Radio sexual-misconduct investigation, which FIRE could not previously disclose due to safety concerns, has just won the prestigious Edward R. Murrow award.
In tense conditions, FIRE's media lawyers and insurance specialists helped NHPR lock in liability protection for the story's freelance editor just before the story ran.
No longer concerned with exposure, MacAdam helped the station with confidence, embodying the objective of FIRE’s highly effective reporter-based approach.
“FIRE's access to excellent media lawyers and its doggedness in advocating for me were essential,” MacAdam wrote as the original story was released. “I'm fortunate that NHPR collaborated with FIRE.”
The collaboration was another victory for the FIRE legal team, which has now helped freelancers secure protections in 19 of 21 such cases over the past three years.
It also contributed to the body of cases that will inform FIRE’s Freelancer Protection Guide, which evaluates how well outlets protect freelancers according to a new standard for the field. Freelancers can apply for the Guide here.
Democracy cannot thrive without strong investigative journalism, which requires properly supported freelancers—for fights like NHPR's.