Don’t SLAPP the messenger: the impact of abusive legal threats and actions against journalists

Strategic lawsuits against public participation (or SLAPPs) are increasingly being used to intimidate journalists into withholding, amending, or removing critical coverage, even when the information is accurate and in the public interest. SLAPPs abuse the law by attempting to keep a lid on unethical or criminal activity by inundating journalists and media outlets with expensive, time-consuming, and emotionally draining legal threats and actions. When they successfully drive information out of the public domain, they prevent nefarious activities from coming to light and make it difficult to hold power to account. SLAPPs threaten not only on media freedom and freedom of expression, but our human rights, our rule of law, and our democracies.

For more information on SLAPPs, see this short explanatory video.

Organised in association with Index on Censorship.