Good Governance

The Good Governance Program pursues openness and honesty in government, supporting civil society, judicial integrity, and independent journalism to hold officials and institutions accountable.

We advise investigative journalism organizations around the world on issues of avoiding and defending against defamation claims, establishing joint investigations through data sharing and co-publication, employing journalists in and from other countries, and setting codes of conduct to promote equal opportunity and safety.

Our clients include the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, A Culture of Safety Alliance, the Arab Reporters of Investigative Journalism, and The Intercept.  We work with the Global Investigative Journalism Network Advisory Services and the Rory Peck Trust.  Along with the Press Freedom Defense Fund, the program coordinates Lawyers for Reporters, serving local journalism in the United States.

We collaborate with civil society organizations promoting openness, transparency, and accountability, including national chapters of Transparency International. We support initiatives and organizations supporting judicial independence and integrity as key components of the rule of law, including the Guatemalan Association of Judges for Integrity, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, and the Lawyers Council for Civil and Economic Rights in the Americas.

The program also has supported the research and advocacy of United Nations Human Rights Council bodies, related to accommodation of indigenous rights in natural resource extraction, solitary confinement practices, and the use of mercenaries by U.N. member states.  It also supports women’s reproductive health rights on behalf of organizations working globally.

The Good Governance Program recently won an important case, you can find the article here.