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A new press accreditation aims to find a way for journalists to work freely in a more fragmented and hostile media landscape.

The Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP) announced this week that they will provide press credentials to INN newsrooms. These include Mother Jones, Inside climate news, ProPublicaAnd The Marshall Projectout of a total of 549 points of sale.

“For many traditional media organizations, press credentials have always been handed out, and because these organizations were so well known, this type of brand recognition gives these journalists and photojournalists a bit of protection,” said Jonathan Kealing, director of the Institute of Nonprofit News. network manager, said.

“But as the media ecosystem reinvents itself, many of these new organizations may not be as well known to law enforcement or, frankly, simply don’t have the resources to distribute press.” The INN hopes that this initiative can fill this gap. Press passes issued by the group will include the name of the Institute for Nonprofit News and the names of the various newsrooms as well as photos of the journalists. On the back of the pass will be the hotline number of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, which connects journalists to legal help.

This effort is a response to the constant increase in police violence that journalists have faced in recent years, and the recommendations of a report released last month by the U.S. Department of Justice outlining “best practices” for police-press interactions during protests. A recommendation is that journalists carry press accreditations.

Kealing acknowledges that even with a press card, journalists still face obstruction and attacks from the police. There are cases where journalists obtain their press card taken away by law enforcement. Many journalists, particularly independent journalists, have fought or are still facing unjustified accusations against them, such as trespassing or unlawful assembly in the exercise of their duties. resistant press passes. “The report is careful to say that there is nothing inherent in the media that gives journalists special rights, but it recognizes that the media have a specific job to do, and it is work protected by the Constitution,” Kealing said.

RCFP, which provides pro bono legal assistance to journalists, will also train law enforcement officials on how to recognize and work with members of the media. They hope they can help familiarize police officers with small, nonprofit newsrooms. “It will help us think about this new generation of news organizations,” Kealing said. “This type of standardized degree indicates that these organizations are serious journalists doing serious journalism. »

Feven Merid is editor of CJR and Senior Delacorte Fellow.