The value of pro bono for media: Women’s Voices Now

Afghan women’s rights defenders and civil activists protest to call on the Taliban for the preservation of their achievements and education, in front of the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan September 3, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer

Women’s Voices Now (WVN) is a US-based non-profit organisation that uses the power of film to drive social change that advances girls’ and women’s rights. The group champions films made by women, about women, raising awareness of women’s rights issues and challenging the under-representation and misrepresentation of women across the film industry. 

Founded in 2010, WVN now has a global reach – its annual film festival has attracted submissions from over 85 countries, while its free online film library has reached more than 20 million viewers in almost 200 countries. However, it remains a small organisation with only six part-time paid staff. As such, WVN relies heavily on volunteer consultants to amplify its reach and impact, which helps to preserve funding for core work.  

 As a young organisation with a limited budget yet global reach, WVN directors were concerned about due diligence vulnerabilities around issues such as copyright and organisational governance. In addition, WVN’s server and website have faced repeated cyberattacks, believed to be connected to WVN platforming documentary films that are critical of authoritarian governments.  

Lawyers from the TrustLaw legal network helped to mitigate these concerns, providing timely and comprehensive legal support. This included drafting various organisational policies and contracts, providing governance and employment law advice, and tailored advice around copyright, discrimination and digital security issues. 

WVN’s governance and copyright frameworks are now fit for purpose, with WVN staff and board members confident that the organisation is robust and resilient against targeted legal attacks, and “doesn’t need to fear any unknowns”.WVN’s enhanced professionalism has also helped with recruitment and retention. Thanks to the Thomson Reuters Foundation, this has been achieved without diverting essential funding from WVN’s core work. 

The confidence and due diligence excellence that this pro bono work has given to WVN is priceless. We wouldn’t be where we are today without all of the projects provided by generous and brilliant attorneys that were connected to us through the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s TrustLaw service

H

Basch-HarodExecutive Director of Women’s Voices Now

This impact story is part of a new series to highlight the critical role pro bono legal support can play to strengthen the resilience and sustainability of independent media to counter legal threats.

In 2023, the Thomson Reuters Foundation – in collaboration with the Tow Centre for Digital Journalism at Columbia University – published a  first of its kind report titled ‘Weaponising the Law: Attacks on Media Freedom’  Almost half of journalists surveyed – 48% – reported that they or their media organisation had experienced legal threats, with these instances intending to suppress media scrutiny and silence the critical voices of those who hold truth to power. These threats are particularly onerous for small to mid-sized outlets and non-profit media organisations — all growing players of the news ecosystem – where financial pressures have been so severe that these organisations are unlikely to have in-house legal counsel.

In response, the Thomson Reuters Foundation has scaled up its package of legal support to independent newsrooms and media outlets to enhance media legal resilience. If you’re a media freedom-focused non-profit or newsroomlooking for legal support, please visit our Legal Service for Independent Media page to find out how we can help or get in touch with the team at [email protected].