Deep pockets dragging us into court

Details: Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00; Written by editor

Last year, a billionaire defense contractor sued The Intercept, claiming defamation. We stand by our reporting — but the resulting legal bills have been eye-popping.

Meanwhile, our reporters are increasingly finding it necessary to go to court to enforce freedom of information laws and get access to public records.

This often drags on for years: For example, we first filed suit in November 2020 to obtain documents about the draconian security measures employed against protests to the Dakota Access pipeline — and despite multiple rulings in our favor, we have yet to receive a single page through the lawsuit.

We never want anyone in our newsroom to be bullied off an important story for fear that it could set off expensive litigation... against a deep-pocketed adversary. Our mission is fearless journalism that holds the powerful accountable — and sometimes that requires going to court.

Less than 2 percent of Intercept readers donate to make this unique nonprofit coverage possible. And frankly, with legal costs rising — and donations dwindling over the summer months — that’s simply not enough. Will you become a member today?

If you’ve saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:

DONATE ANOTHER AMOUNT →

Our lawsuit over the Dakota Access pipeline is an instructive example of how drawn out these battles can become.

For nearly two years, The Intercept has been fighting an expensive and grueling legal battle to obtain 60,000 pages of documents about pipeline giant Energy Transfer and TigerSwan, a private security firm that attacked and surveilled Standing Rock protesters.

The North Dakota Supreme Court unanimously ruled that these documents are subject to the state’s open records law, but Energy Transfer still won’t admit defeat. The pipeline giant’s law firm represented Donald Trump for over 15 years and is notorious for its aggressive tactics. With the nearly unlimited resources of an oil company, it’s fighting our lawsuit tooth and nail.

Our team is confident that the law is on our side. But to finally get our hands on these documents, we need to be prepared for whatever Energy Transfer may throw at us — and with our fundraising taking a hit over the summer months, we need Intercept readers to step up now.

Will you make a donation and help support The Intercept’s crucial First Amendment litigation today?

STAND WITH THE INTERCEPT →

Thank you, The Intercept team

First Look Institute is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization (tax ID number 80-0951255).

The Intercept’s mailing address is:
First Look Institute
P.O. Box 27442
Washington, DC 20038

The Intercept is an award-winning nonprofit news organization dedicated to holding the powerful accountable through fearless, adversarial journalism. Our in-depth investigations and unflinching analysis focus on surveillance, war, corruption, the environment, technology, criminal justice, the media and more. Email is an important way for us to communicate with The Intercept’s readers, but if you’d like to stop hearing from us, click here to r0 from all communications. Protecting freedom of the press has never been more important. Contribute now to support our independent journalism.