Rolling Stone story released after vow of protection

A FIRE-supported reporter has published an investigation in Rolling Stone magazine after successfully negotiating his own liability protection from the magazine, a first for FIRE's contract assistance.

The reporter, national security specialist Zach Dorfman, reported on a little-known effect of the war on terror on those assigned to fight it, for an August release.

Dorfman used a FIRE Consultancy to negotiate a customized promise to remove his exposure to defamation threats. He also secured protections for the anonymity of his sources.

The magazine's cooperation on both issues was a breakthrough for the three-year-old FIRE Legal Consultancies, generously funded by craig newmark philanthropies.

"FIRE provided crucial, thoughtful, and pro bono contractual and legal assistance and advocacy," Dorfman said. "The caliber of legal counsel I was provided was extraordinary."

Rolling Stone, known for its support of sensitive public-interest investigations and protection of sources like Dorfman's, is not known for flexibility on a freelancer's own exposure: The magazine has consistently refused to modify a contractual demand that a freelancer indemnify Rolling Stone.

The magazine's positive response in this case will be addressed in the pilot FIRE Guide to Freelancer Protection. The Guide has evaluated liability practices at 20 major outlets and results will appear here soon.