Each year, the Reporters Committee recognizes the accomplishments of leaders in the news media and legal fields whose work embodies the values of the First Amendment at the organization’s annual Freedom of the Press Awards.

The 2024 edition of this event recognized the exceptional achievements of Stephen Paul Engelberg, editor-in-chief of ProPublica; Maria Hinojosa, founder and president of Futuro Media; Josie Huang, reporter at LAist; Mazin Sidahmed, co-founder of Documented; Sisi Wei, chief impact officer of CalMatters andThe Markup; and the law firm Covington & Burling LLP. The event was hosted by Martha Raddatz, ABC News’ chief global affairs correspondent and co-anchor of “This Week with George Stephanopoulos”.

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The law firm Covington & Burling LLP received the inaugural Freedom of the Press Pro Bono Service Award for dedicating significant time and resources to ProJourn under its Kurt Wimmer Media Freedom Pro Bono Initiative, created in honor of the late Kurt Wimmer, an international leader in media law. In 2023, 45 legal professionals from Covington & Burling LLP donated over 1,300 hours, which is equivalent to more than $1.1 million in legal services, to support ProJourn clients.

“Our lawyers honor Kurt’s legacy by working to ensure that journalists around the world are free to tell the truth, and that nonprofit news organizations are equipped with the free legal support they need to report critical stories.”

Jason Criss, Of Counsel, Covington & Burling LLP

The award was presented to Jason Criss, of counsel and pro bono champion at Covington & Burling LLP, by Sima Sarrafan, assistant general counsel at Microsoft and ProJourn co-founder, Joanna Boisen, chief pro bono and social impact officer at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, and Flavie Fuentes, director of ProJourn, following in memoriam remarks by Tom Burke, partner at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, in honor of the late Bruce Johnson, who was a partner at DWT.

ProJourn is proud to partner with Covington & Burling LLP and is immensely grateful for its commitment to the pro bono program. The complete list of ProJourn participating law firms can be found here.